In Angola, approximately 1,900 cases of child labor will be reported in 2023.

Angolan authorities recorded 1,894 cases of child labor in 2023 under SOS-Criansa, mainly in the province of Bie, followed by the provinces of Lunda Sur, Luanda and Zaire, an official source told Lusa.

In 2023, authorities recorded a total of 1,894 reports of child labor exploitation, according to Gabriel Mbilinge, Adviser to the Angolan Secretary of State for Labor, at 15015 SOS-Criança.

Just over half of the cases involved female children (958), and in 936 cases the victims were male children.

The accusations were made in all provinces of the country, “but the largest source of origin is the province of Bie, at the top of the list, followed by the province of Lunda Sur, and then Luanda and Zaire,” the person in charge emphasized, without providing data for 2024.

The Senior Technical Officer of the Ministry of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security (MAPTSS) of Angola said that the current framework of child labor in Angola is supported by a package of legislation, the maximum expression of which is found in the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labor. Labor Party (PANETI) in Angola.

PANETI, approved in 2021 and with a multi-sectoral team coordinated by MAPTSS, has as its main goal the implementation of measures that promote the practical application of children’s rights as a way to prevent and eradicate child labor in its worst forms.

“The implementation of these measures is carried out from the moment the plan is approved by a multi-sectoral commission coordinated by MAPTSS,” said Gabriel Mbiling.

In the second half of 2024, PANETI plans to carry out actions to eradicate child labor in 18 provinces of the country, namely by training civil society, including the media, to stop the exploitation of children.

Activities planned for 2024 also include the implementation of the PANETI window, action to promulgate the list of prohibited works intended only for minors, updated in 2022 by presidential decree.

According to Gabriel Mbilinga, the plan to eradicate child labor also includes a number of campaigns and competitions under the umbrella of the “PANETI Song Project”, which aims to combine the revival of children’s songs with a new concept.

In addition to recording the best hits from the Angola children’s songbook, the project, as explained by the person in charge, also intends to release new songs about the eradication of child labor.

Hundreds of children in Angola continue to work to feed themselves and even support their families.

On the streets, avenues, neighborhoods, villages and markets of the country, children can be seen engaged in various activities, such as selling food or agricultural or other unsustainable work, such as taxi drivers, shoe polishers, car washers.