Kinshasa, 05 August, 2020 / 10:00 pm (ACI Africa).
The Church leadership in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has, through its development and humanitarian arm Caritas Congo ASBL, launched an education program aimed at fighting against child labor in mines in the Central African nation.
Launched in the Diocese of Wamba in Haut-Uelé Province in DRC, the partnership of Caritas Congo ASBL, Caritas Norway and the Norwegian youth organization, Operasjon Dagsverk (OD) is expected to benefit some 7,500 young people in the region.
“The objective of the access to education program for young people and the fight against child labor in the mines of Mwenga and Wamba is to enable vulnerable young people aged between 12 and 19 years in the territory of Mwenga (South Kivu Province) and Wamba (Haut-Uelé Province) to improve their well-being and future opportunities by 2024 and no longer be forced to work in the mines for the benefit of armed groups,” the leadership of Caritas Congo ASBL reported Monday, August 3.
According to Amnesty International, thousands of children as young as six work without protective gear in artisanal mines in DRC’s Southeastern region.
The National Institute of Statistics has also indicated that 15 percent of children aged 5 to 17 across Congo are engaged in child labor – with most doing dangerous work.
