Unable to walk due to a physical disability, she joins thousands of children across the country who labour in harsh, unregulated conditions in the pursuit of survival.
Madagascar is home to an estimated 10 000 children working in the mica industry, a trade that extracts a shiny silicate mineral used in car parts, cosmetics, and paints.
While its shimmer adds gloss to products worldwide, it hides the grim reality faced by children like Tenasoa, who gather up to two kilogrammes of mica each day amid toxic dust and unstable mine shafts.
“If we don’t work, we don’t eat,” said Soja, Tenasoa’s grandfather. “It’s very simple. Men, women and children must all work to survive.”
A new joint report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlights the slow pace of progress in the fight against child labour, despite global commitments to end the practice by 2025. According to the report, 138 million children are still trapped in child labour globally, a decline of 12 million since 2020, but far short of the needed pace.
“The findings of our report offer hope and show that progress is possible,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. “But we must not be blindsided by the fact that we still have a long way to go.”
Child labour remains especially prevalent in hazardous sectors like mining and agriculture. Of the children affected, 54 million are exposed to dangerous conditions. Thirteen-year-old Honorine, from Benin, works daily in a gravel quarry from 10 AM to 5 PM, paid by the bucket. She dreams of saving enough to one day become a hairdresser.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell noted that while global numbers have declined since 2000, the issue remains deeply entrenched. “Far too many children continue to toil in mines, factories or fields, often doing hazardous work to survive,” she said.
Experts emphasise that child labour is not to be confused with children assisting in household chores. “We are talking about work that is oftentimes hazardous,” said ILO child labour specialist Benjamin Smith.
The report also underlines the intergenerational nature of child labour. Children denied education are more likely to remain in poverty and pass on those hardships to the next generation. Federico Blanco, Lead Author of the report, stressed the human dimension of the crisis. “
Behind every number, let’s remind ourselves that there is a child whose right to education, protection and a decent future is being denied.”
Still, stories like that of 13-year-old Nur, a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh, offer hope. Pulled out of school to help support his family, he was later re-enrolled through the efforts of a UNICEF-supported programme. “I once dreamt of becoming a teacher. I thought I would never be able to become one,” Nur said. “But now I feel that I can learn and become a teacher like I always wanted to.”
With just months to go before the 2025 deadline, international agencies are calling for urgent investments in education, social protection, and labour enforcement to ensure that children like Tenasoa and Honorine are not forgotten.
--UN/ChannelAfrica--
