Rwanda National Police

Four people suspected of employing minors to do household chores were arrested on Tuesday in Nyanza District.

The suspects are all residents of Muyira Sector, Nyundo Cell in Mugari Village where four underage children were rescued.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region, said that the rescue of the children and subsequent arrest of those who were violating their rights is part of the ongoing operations against child labour.

“All the four children, with three of them girls, had dropped out of school including one aged 12. Two children were working in a restaurant while others were working as house-help doing domestic chores,” CIP Twajamahoro explained.

“It’s so unfortunate that one of the suspects is a teacher; these are parents with school-going children, who should understand that these children they were employing to do hectic work in their homes and businesses should equally be in school,” CIP Twajamahoro added.

Article 6 of law No. 71/2018 of 31/08/2018 relating to the protection of the child defines a child as “any person under eighteen (18) years of age.”

“These are operations meant to fight child labour, promote child rights and ensure children go to school. These child labour activities are harmful to minors and their development. Children should be guided to have a better future,” the spokesperson said.

“Parents and guardians should remember their responsibility of looking after their children; take them to school and to avoid any form of abuse that makes children escape from their homes.”

Article 6 of the law regulating labour in Rwanda, prohibits subjecting a child below the age of 18 to any form of works, which are physically harmful to the child; work underground, underwater, at dangerous heights or in confined space; work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools or which involves manual handling or transport of heavy loads; work in an environment, which exposes the child to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging his/her health; work for longer hours or during the night or performed in confined spaces.