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Kitui , June 20, 2007

First Lady Mrs. Lucy Kibaki talks to children from Ngiini Primary School who received her in Kitui where she presided over celebrations to mark the World Day Against Child Labour at Kitui Stadium. Looking on is Labour Minister, Dr. Newton Kulundu.

First Lady Mrs. Lucy Kibaki has called on Kenyans to join hands in combating child labour, especially sexual exploitation.

The First Lady said Kenyans must also unite in curbing the incidence of child trafficking that has been on the rise, noting that children are taken away from their homes to work as labourers and are exploited in many ways including being forced into commercial sex.

She noted that in majority of cases, victims of trafficking are lured from their homes through promises of employment.

"As you are all aware, child sexual exploitation as well as the kidnapping and abducting of persons is illegal as provided for in our Penal Code and the Children's Act," said First Lady.

Mrs. Kibaki was speaking today at Kitui stadium in Kitui town during celebrations to mark the World Day Against Child Labour.

She particularly asked the Human Trafficking Unit within the police force to intensify policing on cases of trafficking children for sex tourism in towns and advised young girls, men and women not to accept promises of employment blindly.

Said the First Lady: "We must all take responsibility for our safety by making deliberate efforts to verify promises."

In this connection, Mrs. Kibaki appealed to Kenyans to support the Government in enforcing laws that protect children.

The First Lady, particularly, urged wananchi to assist the Government in apprehending parents and employers who subject children under 18 years to harmful labour.

"As you are all aware, subjecting children below 18 years to abusive labour is prohibited under the law. Those parents and employers who engage in child labour are, therefore, breaking the law and should be prosecuted," Mrs. Kibaki said.

In the spirit of community policing, the First Lady appealed to wananchi to volunteer information on cases of child labour to law enforcement agencies, saying this will enable the Government to reach out and protect children in every corner of the country.

Noting that child labour is fundamentally a problem of poverty, Mrs. Kibaki stressed that efforts in fighting child labour must be matched by concrete measures to support vulnerable children and empower families economically so that they can provide for their children.

"In most cases poor families, especially those headed by single mothers, send children to work in order to meet their needs. In other cases, orphaned children fend for themselves by engaging in harmful labour," Mrs. Kibaki said.

The First Lady urged wananchi to give President Kibaki a second term so that he could finish the development projects he has initiated and ensure the improvement of the living standard of all Kenyans.

She pointed out that during the last four years that President Kibaki has been in office, the country has witnessed significant development in all sectors, adding that wananchi are now enjoying improved services including provision of water and electricity in the rural areas.

In this regard, the First Lady noted, with satisfaction, that the Government has taken many initiatives to accelerate and broaden economic reforms, which have resulted in economic growth and the reduction of the number of people living below the poverty line.

Mrs. Kibaki expressed confidence that these reforms will result in higher economic growth rates that will enable Kenyans to overcome the problems associated with poverty, among them child labour.

She urged all sections of the society to support the Government as it has shown a genuine commitment to economically empower all Kenyans.

The First Lady also called on women, especially single mothers, to take advantage of the two billion Women Enterprise Fund, which the Government established recently, by borrowing money to start income generating enterprises.

She pointed out that returns from such enterprises will enable women to provide for their children without sending them to work.

"As we all know, the total eradication of poverty will take time. In the meantime, therefore, I appeal to corporate entities, religious and charitable organisations as well as individual Kenyans to support the needy, especially orphans," said the First Lady.
She added: "I urge Kenyans to cultivate our traditional African values of being one another's keeper. In particular, I urge adult Kenyans to uphold family values and to treat every child as their own."

The First Lady observed that any work that can harm the physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development of children is regarded as child labour.

She noted that although such work is banned under the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation Conventions, child labour continues to be a major challenge across the world.

"Globally, an estimated 126 million children are engaged in harmful labour. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are 48 million child workers, which implies that out of every three children, one child below the age of 15 works," the First Lady said.

Although Kenya has ratified and domesticated all relevant Conventions on child labour, Mrs. Kibaki regretted that cases of child labour continue to be witnessed in the country.

"It is important to note that 56 per cent of these children work in the agricultural sector, where they are subjected to harmful workloads and exposed to dangerous chemicals and machinery," the First Lady said.

Noting that currently about 1.9 million children are engaged in child labour in the country, the First Lady said the Government is aware of the problem and has initiated measures towards eliminating child labour in the country.

Besides ratifying International Conventions, Mrs. Kibaki said the Government has developed a National Children Policy and a National Plan of Action that targets to eliminate child labour.

In addition, the First Lady said the Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, has a section on child labour that sets punitive measures on perpetrators of child labour.

"I call upon Members of Parliament to pass the Bill as a priority in order to strengthen the campaign against child labour," the First Lady said.

Emphasizing that education is one of the principal means of eliminating child labour, Mrs. Kibaki asked parents to ensure children go to school and do only light work that will not interfere with their education and personal development.

Noting that HIV/AIDS contributes to child labour, the First Lady stressed the need to protect girls who are most vulnerable to infection.

She urged parents and teachers to ensure homes and schools are safe for girls by declaring zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and reminded girls that pre-marital sex has many dangers associated with it.

"The only way to remain safe is to abstain from sex until marriage and to keep sexual activity within marriage," the First Lady said.

During the occasion, Mr. Dann Okoth of the Standard Group, Alice Chai of Royal Media Services and Caroline Kinuthia of Transworld Radio were declared winners of the awards for child labour reporting while the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) took the award for best media house in reporting child labour. The First Lady presented individual prizes to Mr. Okoth and Ms. Chai and a certificate on behalf of KBC to Anne Ofula.

Speaking during the occasion, Labour Minister Dr. Newton Kulundu outlined the measures the Government has put in place to eliminate child labour.

The minister stressed that a multi-sectoral approach was the only way of ensuring that child labour is put at bay.

Other speakers included Eastern Provincial Commissioner David Jakaiti, Kitui Mayor Councillor Martha Mwangangi and World Vision Director Timothy Musombi among others.