ECAM Consults Financial Institutions to join child labour fight

The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi(ECAM) says engaging the financial institutions on child labour issues as market players in the supply chain (tea and coffee) can boost the efforts to eliminate child labour in Malawi

On Thursday last week, ECAM organised a high level consultative workshop for financial institutions to intensify the fight against child labour.

Speaking during the workshop ECAM Vice President Ivy Kwatiwani said financial sector members which include banks and microfinance institutions, needs to integrate measures that address Child Labour risk in their various services offered to tea and coffee supply chain actors.

“ECAM recognizes the crucial role that employers in Malawi play in an effort to help children. And together with the International Labour Organization (ILO) strongly believe that the financial sector has many opportunities to positively contribute to eliminating child labour,” said Kwatiwani.

Kwatiwani then urged members of the financial sector to join the fight against Child Labour by proposing possible interventions to eliminate Child Labour and by implementing national and regional policies.

Some of the financial service providers that attended the meeting included; representatives from Ministry of Finance, Bankers Association of Malawi, National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF), National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Nyasa Capital Finance and CDH Investment Bank just to mention but a few who all said they have policies that bar minors from being involved in their service provision.

ECAM works with Government through the Ministry of Labour, and workers’ representatives Malawi Congress of Trade Union in the fight against child Labour.