Environmentalists now want the government, through the children’s department, to arrest and prosecute parents who take their children to quarries.
Emily Mwangi claims that the environment in the quarries exposes the children to dangerous health risks and they might end up very ill.
“The dust in the quarry can lead to very serious lung failure and diseases like asthma and serious cases of flu,” she cited.
They were speaking to the press in Pipeline area in Nakuru where they lamented that majority of the parents were denying their children a normal childhood and forcing them into child labour.
“It is heart-breaking to see a young child strapped to her mother’s back while she is working. It is better if the child is left home to play with the rest. In fact, a stone might fall and crush the children, killing or maiming them,” she added
David Koigi, an environmentalist, said that this amounted to child neglect.
“On a site visit, we found so many children in the quarry. Does it mean that the parents cannot afford day care for the children? They should at least hire a house girl to look after the child or hire a separate room where the children will be,” he added.