It is time celebrations stopped being held for the sake of emotional relief and fulfilling of calendar dictates. The recent Day of the African Child saw pressure groups speak against child labour and call for boycott of goods produced through child labour.

Despite the fact that no one should take pleasure in exploiting children and robbing them of their childhood, health and happiness, third world countries should guard against falling victims to perceptions and living standards of  developed countries.

Prohibiting child labour without putting in place alternative mechanisms of productivity subjects children to worse situations as happened in Bangladesh and Nepal. Isn’t denying work to an orphaned child who is out to fend for himself and the other siblings sentencing him to death? Should children stop participating in household chores such as clearing the table?  

Child labour in Sweden was primarily eliminated not by prohibitions but by the economy growing. Mechanization for example, made the simplest manual labour less profitable. The International Labour Organization has noted that the numbers of workers aged 10-14 is declining substantially with the growth of Asian economies.

Any country that consumes more than it produces ends up in economic stagnation. The continent ought to nurture talent and guard against bringing up a generation that does not embrace the virtue of work and productivity. There is need to clearly define what child labour is with regard to various regions and circumstances.