BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Malawi president Peter Mutharika will lead Malawians across the country in commemorating the child labour day on June 17, 2016.

The event will take place at Crossroads Hotel under the theme  ‘Child Labour and Supply Chains’ with the slogan ‘End Child Labour in Supply Chains, It’s everyone’s Business.’

A statement from Ministry of Labour, Youth and Manpower Development, made available to Maravi Post, described Malawi’s child labour prevalence, currently at 29 percent, as too high.

“Effective elimination of child labour requires concerted and collaborative efforts and it is for the benefit of everyone in the supply chain; primary producers will be able to find well skilled labour to produce quality products that will fetch better prices while the buyers will be assured of sustainable supply of quality products,” reads the statement in part.

The statement said child labour interferes with the education of children thereby preventing them from acquiring knowledge and skills that would have enabled them to engage in productive and descent livelihood activities when they grow up.

It further described child labour as work that is exploitative and harmful to children and a grave violation of their human rights.

To ensure its commitment to end child labour, government has put in place the necessary legislation and policy framework for the protection of children against child labour. They include the employment act, the labour relations act, occupational safety health and welfare and protection and justice act.

The day was set aside by the International Labour Organisation and its member states including Malawi to serve as an occasion to highlight the plight of children engaged in child labour as well as to sensitize societies on the evils of child labour and mobilize all to take part in its elimination.