The rising number of children dropping out of school to engage in fishing activities around Lake Victoria in Kisumu County has become a painful sore in the hearts of many.
The driving force behind it, so say locals, is the biting poverty that has seen parents watch helplessly as their children drift irrevocably into the economic activity.
Dunga Beach Management Unit (BMU) vice chairperson Maurice Misodhi reiterated that hunger is the key factor, forcing children to leave school and venture into fishing or engage in cheap labour along the lake shores.
Misodhi said the kids are lured by the quick cash on the beaches, leading to school absenteeism and inevitably high dropout rates.
He pointed out that some parents have neglected their parental responsibilities, giving the children an excuse to roam the beaches instead of attending school.
“Many of the victims we encounter say they were sent by their parents to do menial jobs at the beach in order to earn a living,” he noted, dismayed that young boys are exploited by their parents to work as labourers on night fishing escapades, particularly for omena (sardines), which they hand over to their parents to sell.
Speaking at a workshop organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) focussed on developing capacities and frameworks for addressing child labour at Dunga Beach, the BMU vice chairman underscored the need to sensitize the fishing community on the dangers of child labour.
Misodhi urged parents to fulfil their parenting roles to address the salient issues.
Mike Owala, an advocate of children’s education around the lake, noted that schools within Dunga Beach catchment, such as Nanga Primary and Secondary, Joel Omino Primary and Secondary, and Dunga Primary, are particularly affected by the menace. These schools record high absenteeism and dropout rates among the enrolled learners.
Owala, who represented the learning institutions at the forum, pointed out that both girls and boys are being exploited and are subjected to equal work conditions as adults contrary to Kenya’s constitution.
He highlighted that boys who are of school going age are predominantly involved in fishing expeditions while girls often hawk the fish catch at local markets.
Nonetheless, in response to the rising dropout rates, approximately 100 children who had left school to find employment on the beach were rescued and provided support to resume their studies by the Dunga BMU.
The BMU, in collaboration with corporate partners, has established a fund to offer full scholarships to bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are at risk of dropping out due to financial difficulties.
“The fund sponsors orphans and children from poor families, enabling them to with continue their education. Additionally, the BMU runs a programme that provides sanitary towels to teenage girls, helping to alleviate poverty and maintain their dignity,” Misodhi stated.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the agriculture sector accounts for over 80 per cent of child labour in Africa.
In the lake region, the fisheries sub-sector, which is the dominant economic activity, is ranked as the key contributor to child labour.
It is against this backdrop that the ILO, in collaboration with the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), has launched a campaign to enhance the Dunga BMU’s capacity to combat child labour in the fisheries industry.
Under the Strengthening Capacity of Governments to Address Child Labour, Forced Labour, and Violations of Acceptable Conditions of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAPSA) project, ILO is partnering with national and county governments and other stakeholders to eliminate child labour by 2025.
The Engagement and Partnership Development specialist at ILO, Andrew Odete, stated that they held a three-day workshop in Kisumu County seeking to train and support the Dunga BMU in developing and implementing a framework to address child labour.
“We are working with Dunga BMU to raise awareness about child labour and its effects. We will assist them in developing child protection policies and establishing a committee dedicated to eradicating child labour at Dunga Beach,” Odete explained.
The Dunga BMU Committee on the Elimination of Child Labour will oversee operations within the fisheries value chain to promote child protection and prevent child labour.
Odete said the committee will include labour officers, representatives from local schools, local administration, community leaders, children’s organizations, and children themselves, adopting a community-based approach to addressing the issue.
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