Carlos in Angola

Journalist Carlos Mezenga reports from Angola, November 2007

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Week 9: Child Labour: Many children are being forced to work like adults

Teenager Carlos Mezenga spends his spare time informing other children about their rights. In this space, you can follow Carlos's blog, writing about life in Angola.

Hi, I'm back as usual.

Today, I want to talk about child labour.

Labour can be thought of as the effort and energy spent by a person.

In Uíge Province, many children are forced to work like adults. Although there are some tasks that children can perform without being harmed, in my province more than 1000 children are ruining their lives in various ways. Some help out their families by working in the street. And others have been ordered to work, because their stepfather or stepmother doesn't care for them. Instead, they call them ‘witches' and refuse to feed them. This leaves the children with no chance of getting an education, and their lives are wrecked.

An example: ‘zunga' is the kind of work that many children do to pay their own way and help their family. The kids spend the whole day in the glaring sun, selling stuff for others. Other children carry sacks on their heads to pay for themselves, and the consequences of this toil are seen in terms of health problems a few years down the line.

Save the Children is helping them, but this is not enough. We are hoping for your help, and that this will then be sufficient. Next time, you will hear about a boy aged 10, who does this kind of work, and has already dropped out of school.

Bye again, and have a nice time.