He also called for stronger links between national policies and action at district, community and workplace levels, saying efforts to eliminate child labour must translate into tangible protection for vulnerable children.
The Government has called for renewed urgency, stronger coordination and practical action to accelerate the elimination of child labour, slavery and trafficking in Uganda.
The call was made by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Alex Asiimwe, during the 13th meeting of the National Steering Committee on the Elimination of Child Labour held at Hotel La Vena in Seguku.
In his opening remarks, delivered by Judith Auma, the Ministry’s Manager of Labour Inspections and Enforcement, Asiimwe said child labour remains a critical challenge that undermines national development, denies children their rights to education, health and protection, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and vulnerability.
According to the ILO-UNICEF Global Estimates of Child Labour 2024, nearly 138m children worldwide are engaged in child labour, with 54m involved in hazardous work.
In Uganda, 6.2m children, representing 40% of the 15.7m children aged between five and 17, are engaged in child labour, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics National Labour Force Survey 2021. The survey indicates that boys account for 50.4% of children engaged in child labour, compared with 49.6% for girls.
Asiimwe urged the steering committee to critically review progress made during previous engagements, identify gaps in implementation and agree on practical measures with clear responsibilities and realistic timelines.
He also called for stronger links between national policies and action at district, community and workplace levels, saying efforts to eliminate child labour must translate into tangible protection for vulnerable children.
Asiimwe further stressed the need for responsible business conduct and human rights due diligence across supply chains, particularly where children face risks of exploitation.
“Identification of a child labour risk should lead to corrective action and effective remediation, rather than simply termination of a supplier relationship or displacement of the affected child from one form of work to another,” he said.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to using recommendations from the meeting to guide the review and implementation of the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour (NAP II 2020/21–2024/25).
Asiimwe also pledged continued efforts to strengthen coordination among Government institutions, particularly ministries responsible for education, finance, local government and social protection.
The National Steering Committee brings together representatives from Government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and implementing partners working to end child labour, slavery and trafficking in Uganda.
