Children Lead the Call for a Red Card to Child Labour Ahead of World Day Commemoration in Mayuge

As Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June 2026, children in Mayuge District took centre stage in the fight against child labour through activities designed to amplify their voices and influence action.

Held on 11 June 2026 as a pre-commemoration activity, the Children's Conference 2026, organized by Nascent Research and Development Organisation Uganda (Nascent RDO-U) together with the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) in collaboration with other partners, brought together more than 150 children from eight primary schools under the theme, "Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults." The conference provided a platform for children to discuss the realities of child labour, identify its root causes, and develop recommendations that were later presented to stakeholders during the district commemoration at Bugadde Primary School.

Participating schools included St Peterson, Bugadde, St Joseph, St Francis, St Jude, Wandegeya, St Luke, and St Luubu primary schools. Through poetry, music, dance, drama, debates, presentations, and art, children shared how child labour affects their lives and communities. The event opened with a poem titled "Chartered I Am" performed by pupils from St Joseph Bukoba Primary School, highlighting how many children miss school to engage in sugarcane cutting, domestic work, hawking, and other forms of labour.

Drama performances further illustrated the realities children face. One skit showed how community referral pathways can help identify and support children trapped in labour, while another told the story of a boy who dropped out of school to cut sugarcane, only to be exploited and denied payment before eventually returning to school. Through these performances, children emphasized the importance of community action in protecting vulnerable children.

During group discussions, children identified poverty as the leading driver of child labour. They also highlighted limited awareness of children's rights, inadequate scholastic materials, family pressure, and weak support systems for vulnerable households as factors pushing children out of school and into work.

Working with their teachers, the children developed recommendations directed at parents, community leaders, and government authorities. Their proposals included keeping children in school through access to scholastic materials and meals, strengthening enforcement of child protection laws, increasing community awareness on the dangers of child labour, and supporting vulnerable families.

Presenting on behalf of her group, Namukoze Sarah, a 13-year-old pupil from St Peterson Primary School, captured the aspirations of many participants when she said: "We don't want to work; we want to be at school learning."

A key outcome of the conference was the development of a children's petition outlining their concerns and recommendations. Six child representatives were selected by their peers to present the petition during the World Day Against Child Labour commemoration on 12 June, ensuring children's voices remained central to discussions on child protection and education.

Prior to the conference, participating schools had conducted debates and discussions on child labour through inter-class and inter-house competitions. Children also participated in an art illustration competition, producing drawings that depicted the causes and effects of child labour in their communities. Several of these artworks were later transformed into pledge cards signed by stakeholders as a public commitment to ending child labour.

To extend the campaign beyond the conference venue, the participating children joined more than 100 community members in a four-kilometre awareness march through Mayuge. Accompanied by a brass band and carrying banners calling for an end to child labour, participants delivered a strong message that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, play, and grow in a safe environment. The march was flagged off by the Commissioner for Children Affairs from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr. Fred Ngabirano.

As stakeholders gathered the following day to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour, the messages from children remained clear: every child deserves education, protection, and a future free from exploitation. Their call for a "Red Card to Child Labour" serves as a reminder that ending child labour requires collective action from families, communities, leaders, and institutions alike.

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