International labour organisation
Indigenous children working in the mining sector
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- 4.3 Indigenous children working in the tourism sector
- 4.4 Indigenous children working as domestic workers
- 4.5 Indigenous children working as security guards in urban centers
- 4.6 Indigenous children in prostitution
- 4.7 Children in conflict areas/situation
- 5.0 Major Causes of Child Labour
4.2 Indigenous children working in the mining sectorThe sand harvesting, small-scale quarry mining and gypsum mining are popular economic activities in various pastoralists’ areas. Young boys are casually employed to scoop sand and load it to the lorries. In the small-scale quarries they are employed to collect hardcore and in other areas they are engaged in digging the limestone or gypsum and loading it to the lorries. This is mainly happening in Laikipia, Kajiado and Narok – areas where the demand for sand is high because of construction in the urban centres. 4.3 Indigenous children working in the tourism sectorPastoralists’ areas are endowed with cultural and natural resources that make them worldwide renowned tourist attractions. The culture of the Maasai and Samburu has also been a riding force to the growth of tourism in Kenya. Young girls and boys living around the popular destination are being lured to work as tourist attraction –mainly as dancers. There is a high number of Samburu young Morans being trafficked into the Kenyan coast – to Mombasa and Malindi – where they are working as beach boys and dancers and owing to their illiteracy they are being exploited by villas and hotel owners. 4.4 Indigenous children working as domestic workersYoung pastoralists’ girls and boys are working in urban centers as house helps and in hotels. Elite pastoralists, living in major urban centers, prefer to employ young girls from their own community to look after their children. In this way, they are assured or guaranteed of their children learning the mother tongue. Boys are employed to work casually in rural hotels in areas like Isiolo, Maralal, Marsabit among others. The children work in tough condition and normally under paid and abused. They are not aware of the rights and the urban environment is very intimidating and poverty back home, is a constant reminder that motivates them to stay and work than go back and suffer. For instance, in Merille, a small trading centre where mid way between Isiolo and Marsabit, you find children between 14 and above working in hotels, washing dishes, fetching water for the hotel owner. The chilren are mostly from single parents and also from the despised Il kunono(Blacksmith holds). 4.5 Indigenous children working as security guards in urban centersThere is no official statistics of indigenous children working as security guards. However, there is strong indications that the numbers are on the increase due to continued decline of pastoralist production, conflicts, poverty and continued effects droughts. Boys are seriously affected by this activity. They boys are initiated to “adulthood” at a tender age of ranging between 10-15 and are expected to start rebuilding their identity and livelihood which, to a larger extent, is defined and relates to livestock acquired. The traditional cattle raids are increasingly becoming risky due to proliferation of small and light arms and stringent measures by the Government. The new initiates are left with minimal options, including working as a security guard. Due to their illiteracy they are in most cases exploited by their employers. A recent incident in Mombasa, where 4 samburu brothers were killed in cold blood (while guarding an international school-Braeburn) by gangsters, is one of the few reported cases. Many go unreported. The community such as the Maasai and Samburu defines adulthood through initiation and the holding an National identity card is a formal way of identifying adults. These young initiates are normally approved by the chiefs to hold IDs yet; they have not attained the required age to hold the Idenity Cards. Most Birth still take place at home and such birth certificates remains a rare thing in the remote are 4.6 Indigenous children in prostitutionThe continued conflicts and social disruption of pastoralists traditional livelihood has driven some social groups to complete destitutions. They now live on the periphery of urban centers for security and for easier access to relief efforts. Incidences of prostitution have been reported among a section of Turkana living on the edge of Maralal in Samburu, Isiolo, Ngare mara and Rumuruti. Owing to the increase of armed conflicts, this trend is likely to be on the increase. Unfortunately, due to shame and risks of being despised by others, such practices are rarely mentioned. 4.7 Children in conflict areas/situationResource-based armed conflicts are endemic in northern Kenya and herding children must be armed with small arms/lights arms to be able to take care of the family livestock. North, eastern and north rift of Kenya are particularly notorious of this. Due to the current on-going pastoralists’ disarmament by security forces, children are being used by parents to keep the arms and evade arrest. The tribal conflicts among the pastoralists have displaced various households pushing children to work as a basis of building the family life. 5.0 Major Causes of Child Labour5.1 Lack of relevant and appropriate policies to support pastoralists’ livelihoodThe Kenyan Poverty Reduction Strategy paper (2000-2004), acknowledges and admits that the nomadic pastoralism is the most prudent production system in the ecologically fragile rangelands or Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASAL) of Kenya. The traditional occupations of pastoralists and hunter –gathering are not formally recognized by the state authorities and the existing development policies do not favour them. The mobility of herds and peoples is a strategy employed by pastoralists to make rational use of the rangelands resources. The official structures do not recognize or appreciate that logic and have not taken deliberate efforts to ensure that the pastoralists have rights to access basic education and other basic services as they move with their livestock. The educational policies are not adapted to their traditional lifestyle and the curriculum is also far much removed from the reality of indigenous peoples. 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