Children’s Voices Still Waiting to Be Heard: Junior MPs Call for Action on Child Labour and Trafficking

 Two months after nine of Junior Parliamentarians boldly presented a motion to the Child Rights Parliamentary Caucus to end child labour and child trafficking in Zimbabwe, children’s voices continue to call for action — urging Parliament to push the motion. 

In August, Junior Parliamentarians from Hurungwe, Mudzi, Chiredzi and Harare met with Senior members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Child Rights, submitting a powerful motion that called for urgent national measures to protect children from child labour and child trafficking. The Senior Parliamentarians welcomed the motion and pledged to push it in the Parliament of Zimbabwe, ensuring that children’s voices are represented in national decision-making.

Children submitted six key asks: 
  

• Increased community awareness on child protection and safe practices 

• Stronger law enforcement against perpetrators of child labour and child trafficking 

• Strengthened child protection and safeguarding systems 

• Closer collaboration between Junior and Senior Parliamentarians 

• Higher budget allocations for child protection initiatives 

• Improved and transparent monitoring and reporting on the situation of child labour and child trafficking in Zimbabwe.  

While the motion is yet to be pushed in parliament, the children’s message remains clear — protecting children from labour and trafficking requires urgent, collective action from decision makers, civil society, and communities alike. 

“We spoke because we want to see a safe Zimbabwe for all children. We call upon the Senior Parlimentarians’ support to push this motion forward,” said Ruvimbo, a Junior MP from Hurungwe. 

Through the EU-funded “Fighting Child Labour and Child Trafficking Project”, implemented by Save the Children and its partners- the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC), and the Coalition Against Child Labour in Zimbabwe (CACLAZ), young advocates are being equipped with the skills and platforms to lead meaningful child sensitive advocacy. With support from the ZNCWC, Junior MPs continue to engage duty bearers and follow up on commitments made during the August engagement.  

“Parliamentarians have a key role in turning advocacy into policy. Children have done their part, now we look forward to seeing their motion reflected in legislative and budgetary priorities,” Patience Makambwa, Child Protection and Child Rights Governance Partnerships and Programmes Lead, Save the Children.

By Cynthia Chimbunde