Sector/Industry Activity

In 2014, Zambia made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government undertook a massive scale up of its Social Cash Transfer program, adding 125,000 additional households. The Government put into force the Prohibition of Employment of Young Persons and Children (Hazardous Labour) Order. In addition, the Government participates in social programs including two programs to eliminate child labor in tobacco production. However, children in Zambia continue to engage in child labor in agriculture and mining. Gaps remain in the current legal framework related to children; for instance, the Education Act does not include the specific age at which education is compulsory and the Government has not defined what the school-going age is as required in the law, which may leave children under the legal working age vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor. I. PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD LABOR Children in Zambia are engaged in child labor, including in agriculture and mining.(1, 2) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Zambia