Hoima District has today held an extra-ordinary council aimed at ratification of by-laws on the elimination of child labor in Kyabigambire and Buraru Subcounties.
The two sub-counties have recently made by-laws to eliminate the increased cases of child labour and these needed to be forwarded to the District Council to certify that the by-laws are not inconsistent with the Constitution, or any other law enacted by Parliament, or an ordinance of a District or a by-law passed by a higher Council.
Kyabigambire and Buraru Sub-Counties Councils identified a gap in the community like school dropouts, early marriages and un wanted pregnancies among others. This is attributed to child labour in sugar cane plantations, sand mining, in the market and production chain among others.
The existence of agricultural opportunities has attracted companies, small scale employers hence pushing children and others to engage in the business. Whereas the agricultural opportunities are offering employment and raised income of some households, on the contrary, they are employing children. These children are deprived of their childhood rights i.e. their education has been interfered with and their mental, physical, social, and moral being harmed hence the need to protect them and secure their future.
The subcounty councils already considered the by-laws and received by the District Technical Planning Committee that referred them to the Sub-committee which satisfied that the bye-laws are not inconsistent with the constitution and other existing relevant laws.
