Abuse in fruit farms in South Africa

Farmers who make significant contributions to the production of South Africa's fruits and wine reportedly face abuse in the Western Cape province, where they are denied fundamental rights, including the right to adequate housing, safety and health. They lack basic necessities like toilets and drinking water.

Human Rights Watch reports that there are attempts to stop farm workers in the Western Cape from forming Unions. [Source]. This is in violation of workers' right to organize, provided in the Constitution on South Africa and international conventions such as the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention that was ratified by South Africa in February 1996.

According to Human Rights Watch, farm workers in the Western Cape work under dangerous occupational safety and health conditions and the government has failed to protect them from exploitation and abuse, despite the fact that the country benefits enormously from fruit and wine industries - powered by the workers.

The following video by Human Rights Watch, shines light on the plight of farm workers in the Western Cape of South Africa.



South Africa is a respected member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN agency that promotes social justice and labour rights.

The government recognizes, at least on paper, the need to protect workers from poor working conditions, exploitation and other forms of abuse. Reports of widespread workers' abuse in modern-day South Africa damages the image of the "rainbow nation" abroad. The government should take steps to restore the dignity of farm workers in the Western Cape.

Human Rights Watch recently published a detailed report about untold violation of workers' rights in the Western Cape. The 96-page report, titled "Ripe with Abuse: Human Rights Conditions in South Africa's Fruit and Wine Industiries" (pdf format) includes photographs of some of the dilapidated structures where farm workers live.
Photo source: BBC.

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Cameroon: Child labour video series

Child labour is a key concept in international law but unfortunately, it has no clear definition. UNICEF defines it as work that exceeds "a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work" [Source]. The International Labour Organization (ILO), on its part, defines child labour as "work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development." [Source]. The organization states that work that does not affect children's health, personal development or interfere with their schooling should not be eliminated. This includes helping parents at home, assisting in the family business or working to earn pocket money.

Lack of clarity in the definition of child labour has given perpetrators of child labour and child exploitation freedom to interpret the concept to their advantage. Abusive parents and guardians argue that working long hours (under pressure and abusive conditions) in the family business is necessary for the child's personal development and helps the child to better appreciate what it means to be hardworking.

Some advocates for child labour have invoked poverty and economic hardship as justification of child labour - arguing that children must work hard in order to support struggling parents in developing countries.

Even more bizarrely, some have argued that "child labour" is a western concept that is not applicable in developing countries.

This mentality, together with the ambiguous definition of "child labour" explains why thousands of children suffer in developing countries. Many perpetrators of child labour and economic exploitation of society's most vulnerable mistakenly think that a viable economy could be built on the backs of children.

On 19 August 2011, I shared an article on Facebook condemning the economic exploitation of children in Bamenda, north west region of Cameroon. The article, which raises genuine concerns about the plight of children as young as 6 years old, was dismissed as "absurd" - an indication that even some educated Cameroonians of the "Facebook generation" still think that there is no problem when parents send out 6-year-olds to the streets to sell groundnut, sweets and biscuits - in the name of supporting the family business.

The following video series explains why child labour in Cameroon should be discouraged in its early stages before victims graduate into more severe and hazardous forms of child labour. It is the story of Etienne Babila, a child labourer rescued by the ILO from a cocoa farm in Cameroon.



PART II:



PART III:



Cameroon is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 32 of the convention state that: "States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development."

The state has a duty to protect its children.

Photo: Civitas.

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Cameroon: The right to quality education denied?

The right to education is a basic right enshrined in key human rights instruments duly ratified by the Republic of Cameroon, but for many young people, mostly in remote areas in the central African country, the right to quality education is a myth.

A video posted on YouTube shines the spotlight on a broken educational system in Cameroon and puts into question the government's commitment to equip young Cameroonians with the tools needed to compete in a global world.



The sorry-state of the Government High School in the above video is shocking and the determination of the teachers and parents to provide better conditions for students in the school is commendable.

Education is a vehicle out of poverty. It is impossible to see how a country would develop and lift its people out of poverty without investing in quality education for children, both boys and girls.

The government of Cameroon has made commendable strides to promote education. There are many relatively good public schools in the country and outstanding private schools that provide top-notch education for young Cameroonians. Like a good number of Cameroonians, I was lucky to attend one of the best and well-equipped schools in Cameroon.

However, children in "forgotten" parts of Cameroon like Kitiwum seeking quality education are equally Cameroonians. Their right to quality education should be equally guaranteed without discrimination.

In January 2011, Cameroon ratified the African Youth Charter. Article 13(1) of the Charter clearly states that:

"Every young person shall have the right to education of good quality." 

The right to education is also expressly stated in Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) TO WHICH Cameroon is a party.

The state should fulfill its obligation under international law by providing quality education for all young people.

It is worthy to note that about 69 million school-aged children are not in school and 31 million of them are in sub-saharan Africa. [Source: UN Fact Sheet].

Photo of school bell. Source: CATTU.

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