Tobacco industry bans use of child labour

An international outcry and threatened sanctions had prompted Malawi's tobacco industry to ban the use of child labour, African Eye News Service reported on Tuesday.

The Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) decided to create the Elimination of Child Labour Association after international buyers threatened to lobby for a blanket trade ban unless authorities took steps, the report said. It added that the association's task force included government labour officials, employers and members of the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU). "We have looked at different perspectives of child labour in Malawi and are going to pool every resource to damn this evil," TAMA vice-president Amid Mponda-Lunga was quoted as saying. He said the creation of the new association confirmed Malawi's commitment to ending child labour practices.

The report quoted Labour Commissioner Zebron Kambuto as saying that in terms of the Employment Act of 2000, the minimum age of employment was 14 years. In addition, Malawi had also ratified International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions which sought to raise the minimum employment age in the commercial agriculture sector to 18 years. Kambuto said it was criminal to employ a minor in any economic activity which harmed his or her physical and normal development and that the offence was punishable by a R3,500 (US $365) fine or five years in jail.

According to the report, The International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour estimated that close to 250 million children under 14 years were engaged in economic activities worldwide. However, no statistics were available for Malawi, where many children are forced to work because of poverty