Chilima says Malawi has ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) protocol of 2014 on Forced Labour, Convention United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Occupational Safety and Health Conversations which aims at ending the child labour in Malawi.

He made the remarks on Sunday when addressing 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Durban.

According to Chilima, the country has Employment Act aimed at regulating minimum standards of employment and prohibits child labour and forced labour.

“We have abolished the Tendency Labour System due to its resemblance with forced labour. For Malawi, the abolishment has been a crucial step towards the substance of our efforts in the fight against child labour, as we reinforce our commitment to end child labour, for me, the increasing number of children involved in hazardous work points to one thing : poverty.,” he said.

The vice president added that the country needs deliberate polices that absorb the economic shocks that are pilling pressure on families and children which focus them into the forced child labour to survive.

” I believe this is an area that all stakeholder groups from government, non-state actors and communities must collaborate and intervene” he explained.

Child labour in Malawi is affecting over 2.1 million children who are in the age range of 5 and 15.

The conference is attended by heads of state, academic institutions, 120 ministers, United Nations agencies, tripartite constituents of 187 member countries of ILO, civil society organisations, non-governmental organizations, media and civil society.