Child Labour in Zimbabwe and the Rights of the Child

Child labour in Zimbabwe can be found on large-scale farms, in the peasant sector, in formal domestic employment, in the small-scale industries of the informal sector, in contract work in some industries, and in ‘street’ jobs. The real extent of child labour in each of these sectors is unknown, and the conditions under which children work have not been documented in any detail. The law in Zimbabwe affords little protection to child workers. The reasons for the presence of child labour, and the conditions under which children work, are at odds with the rights of children as outlined in the Draft UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and will persist while society and the economy continue to generate extremes of poverty and wealth. Bibliogr.