A local rescue organisation from Nyamira County has raised concerns over alleged rampant child labour related cases in the region that has reportedly seen underage children being used as house helps and in doing other chores, contrary to the law.
Speaking on Thursday at Chepilat Township during an exercise that saw three underage children rescued from drinking hubs, Nyamira Children Rescue Center coordinator Mr Steve Ndwiga urged authorities to help the organisation execute a crackdown to avert the rampant cases of child labor.
He said the organisation has rescued a record 15 children from a number of households and said the number could have been higher if they received a boost from authorities.
“We are living in a society that encourages child labour and we often speak little about the menace. Our organisation has rescued 15 children in one and half months and we fear that there could more. We appeal to authorities to help us execute a crackdown to help our children,” he said.
He said many of the cases were confined in homes, making it difficult for the organisation to locate specific cases and appealed to the public to notify the police for an action.
“We have written to county commissioner and hope she will instruct police to work with us. It’s difficult to break into people's houses to rescue girls and boys who are held hostage. The public should also help us,” he added.
He said the organisation was keen to reach Keroka and Nyamira townships and execute a rescue operation especially in bars where underage children are reportedly employed.
“We are soon going to Keroka and Nyamira, especially in bars. We want to rescue these children and take them to school or other technical colleges. They have to be given technical skills for survival and not subjecting them to child labour,” he said.