Child Labour in Africa
The world considers the issue of child labour to be a rather serious one in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there are a set of experts in Africa who do not consider it to be serious and prefer to sweep it under their carpet in order to look into more 'serious' issues. There are still others who prefer to wear a blindfold and believe that child labour issues are far more serious in other nations, whereas it is as good as non-existent in their own nation.
However, ILO statistics provide a more serious picture. It states that over 40% of the children of Africa are working. They are mainly working as slaves in private households, apart from other industries. And because they are working in households, African experts would like to believe it is not really a serious issue.
While the picture, as we see is grim, yet nothing can really be done as there is no consistent or factual empirical evidence where child labour in Africa is concerned.
There is shortfall in the count of working children as some researchers have accounted for school-going children who do not attend school and are therefore assumed to be working. This ignores those under-employed and those idle. Then there are researchers who have counted those children who do not attend school, without taking into account those who attend school and also work.
Domestic child labour
Farm workers
Commercial plantation workers
Begging
Petty sales
Family business child-workers
There is no consensus where the maximum number of working hours for children is concerned.
There is a lack of inclusion, as well as exclusion of the non-market activities and domestic chores, which affects the extent of the female children labour force, as against the male child.