Rivaldo Kavanga

Children living on the streets and those subjected to child labour have expressed the sentiment of being treated as the stepchildren of Namibia as they are often excluded from child and youth spaces and programmes, and have no access to information, opportunities or justice.

While laws in Namibia do confer all children in Namibia with rights, these rights are generally not realised for children living on the streets and those subject to child labour practices, due to social issues such as poverty, inequality and violence that exist in society. 

Although Namibia has made profuse advancements in realising the rights of children, there has been a void in realising the rights of children living on the streets and those subjected to child labour. By not realising these rights, these two groups of children have also been subjected to harmful practices. 

The theme for this year’s celebrations of the Day of the African Child is ‘Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy & Practice since 2013’, and as we commemorate this day, we need to assess the progress of Namibia in ending harmful practices affecting children.

Namibia adopted the Child Care and Protection Act in 2015 which, to a great extent, incorporates the principles and rights contained in the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). A key precept in the Child Care and Protection Act is to set out principles to the best interest of children. This means eliminating harmful practices such as child exploitation, violence against children and child rape, child marriages, and all other practices that are harmful to children and do not have the best interest of children at heart. 

Since rectifying the CRC in 1990 and adopting the Child Care and Protection Act, Namibia has reached significant milestones in realising the rights of children and eliminating harmful practices affecting children.

However, children in Namibia, especially foreign children residing in northern Namibia and those living on the streets, are susceptible to child labour, exploitation and violence. Angolan children residing in Namibia constitute the majority of children who are exploited and susceptible to child labour. This is evident in the northern areas of the country where these children are employed as unskilled labourers herding cattle or working in mahangu fields. 

The informal settlements of the capital city echo this evidence, where children as young as 14 are employed as informal vendors in the streets of Okuryangava, Havana and along Monte Christo road, selling sweets or chips, carrying buckets of muffins around or pushing wheelbarrows containing maize in the blazing hot sun of the capital. Shockingly, most of these children revealed that they are employees of businesses owned by family members or close family friends. A minority are self-employed.

Children living on the streets face a constant violation of their rights and are vulnerable to violence and abuse. They reveal that economic and social problems are the reason they opt to reside on the streets. Their daily routine includes searching for food in rubbish bins, begging for money, looking for scrap metal to sell, and going to bed in riverbeds or under bridges.

Children subjected to labour and those living on the streets face a constant violation of their rights, primarily the right to education. They are unable to attend school because of missing documents or lack of citizenship. They also prefer to work, as opposed to going to school due to the little economic benefits which they use to sustain themselves and their families. 

Poverty, economic inequality and abuse exacerbate the injustices children face, and set back efforts to realise the rights of all children. Platforms where child labourers and children living on the streets may express their views or concerns about their adversities or voice out their injustices, are almost non-existent. 

An introspection into our various child and youth spaces reveals that we rarely see the representation of these two groups of children on public platforms. We have rendered them and their injustices voiceless and silent.

To eliminate harmful child labour and reduce the number of children living on the streets, government primarily has to look into inter-country adoptions for child labourers both in northern Namibia and other parts of the country. The home affairs ministry needs to provide these children with documentation such as birth certificates, as this has been a barrier for children who want to attend school. 

The government, with the assistance of the private sector and civil society organisations, need to commission programmes that not only provide access to education, but also holistically eliminate psycho-social and economic adversities that these children face. 

Violators of children’s rights should also be brought to justice. 

Solving and addressing poverty and inequality are core to realising the rights of children and eliminating harmful practices.

We must adopt a multi-sectoral approach where all stakeholders from the government, private sector and civil society must increase efforts to realise the rights of all children.  Efforts need to be implemented to ensure their rights are realised and they enjoy these rights.

*Rivaldo Kavanga is a member of the Children’s Parliament and a first-year law student at the University of Namibia.