Call to put child welfare at the heart of business regulation in Africa – RFI

Report on Business Practices and Children’s Rights in Africa: An SDG Perspective

Executive Summary

A recent conference in Lesotho highlighted the urgent need for African nations to regulate business activities that violate children’s rights. Experts from the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) presented findings indicating that harmful industrial practices, including child labour and environmental pollution, are severely undermining progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report calls for robust governmental accountability and the implementation of national and continental action plans to protect children’s welfare in the context of business operations, particularly in light of the new African Continental Free Trade Area.

Violations of Child Rights and Contradictions to Sustainable Development Goals

Child Labour and the Challenge to SDG 8

The prevalence of child labour across the continent represents a significant barrier to achieving decent work and economic growth for all. This issue is in direct contravention of SDG 8, specifically Target 8.7, which calls for the immediate eradication of the worst forms of child labour.

• An estimated 70 to 90 million children are engaged in child labour in Africa, predominantly within the vast and poorly regulated informal sector.
• According to the International Labour Organisation, Sub-Saharan Africa has more children engaged in child labour than the rest of the world combined.
• The informal nature of this labour makes it difficult to track the extent of the problem and the hazards children face.

Health Hazards, Pollution, and the Impact on SDG 3

Corporate activities are also linked to severe health and environmental crises that disproportionately affect children, undermining SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Unsafe products and hazardous industrial practices have long-term consequences for children’s physical and cognitive development.

• In Kabwe, Zambia, nearly a century of lead, zinc, and manganese mining has resulted in extreme environmental contamination, making it one of the world’s most polluted towns.
• The soil contamination has led to widespread lead poisoning, to which young children are especially vulnerable.
• Health consequences for children in the region include physical deformities and developmental challenges, highlighting a failure to uphold SDG Target 3.9, which aims to reduce illnesses from hazardous chemicals and pollution.

Institutional Failures and the Need to Strengthen SDG 16

Lack of National Action Plans

The failure of governments to enforce environmental laws and regulate corporate behaviour points to a critical weakness in institutional capacity, a core focus of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The lack of coherent policy frameworks to hold businesses accountable for child rights violations is a major concern.

• Only five out of 55 African countries have established National Action Plans on business and human rights.
• This leaves 50 nations without a coordinated strategy to ensure child protection is integrated into business regulation and practice.
• Children are also indirectly affected when their caregivers are subjected to poor working conditions, which contravenes principles of decent work (SDG 8).

Recommendations for a Multi-Pronged Approach

Advancing the SDGs through National and Continental Action

The IHRDA recommends a comprehensive, multi-level strategy to embed children’s rights within economic and business frameworks. This approach is essential for making meaningful progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

1. Develop National Action Plans: All 55 African Union member states must develop and implement coherent National Action Plans that explicitly incorporate and prioritize children’s rights in the context of business and human rights. This is fundamental to building the strong institutions required by SDG 16.
2. Establish a Continental Framework: The African Union must create a binding mechanism for child protection at the continental level. This is particularly urgent with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which could otherwise exacerbate violations if not properly regulated.
3. Enforce Corporate Accountability: Governments must strengthen regulatory oversight and enforce laws to hold corporations accountable for environmental damage and human rights abuses, thereby advancing SDG 3, SDG 8, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The article discusses severe health impacts on children due to industrial pollution.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The central theme of the article is the prevalence of child labor and poor working conditions for caregivers.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The article highlights the environmental damage caused by unsafe mining practices, leading to pollution.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The article points to the failure of governments to regulate businesses, enforce laws, and protect children’s rights, calling for stronger institutional frameworks.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
  
  Explanation: The article directly connects to this target by describing the town of Kabwe, Zambia, as “one of the most polluted towns in the world” where soil contaminated by lead from mining has caused children to suffer “deformities, developmental challenges, etc.” This is a clear case of illness resulting from soil pollution and hazardous chemicals.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour… and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.
  
  Explanation: The article’s primary focus is on child labor in Africa. It explicitly states that “Millions of children on the continent are engaged in child labour – between 70 to 90 million children in Africa”. This directly addresses the goal of ending child labor.
• Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers…
  
  Explanation: The article mentions that children “suffer indirectly when their caregivers work in poor conditions… or without proper renumeration and rest periods.” This relates to the need for safe working environments and fair labor practices for adult workers, which in turn impacts child welfare.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

• Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
  
  Explanation: The case of Kabwe, where “lead, zinc and manganese mining has been happening for almost a century” leading to contaminated soil, is a direct example of the failure to manage industrial waste and chemicals soundly. The article describes this as a result of “unsafe mining practices,” which this target aims to eliminate.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
  
  Explanation: Child labor and the health damage caused by corporate negligence are forms of exploitation and abuse of children. The article calls for holding “companies to account for violating children’s rights,” which aligns with this target.
• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
  
  Explanation: The article criticizes the “failure of the Zambian government to enforce environmental protection laws” and notes that “only five out of 55 African countries have national action plans” on business and human rights. This highlights a lack of effective institutions and coherent plans to regulate business and protect citizens, which this target aims to address.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 8

• Indicator for Target 8.7: The number of children engaged in child labor.
  
  Explanation: The article explicitly provides a quantitative estimate: “between 70 to 90 million children in Africa” are engaged in child labor. This figure serves as a direct indicator of the scale of the problem.

Indicators for SDG 3 & SDG 12

• Indicator for Target 3.9 & 12.4: The incidence of health problems linked to industrial pollution and the level of environmental contamination.
  
  Explanation: The article implies these indicators by stating that in Kabwe, “The soil has been contaminated by lead” and as a result, “children are suffering deformities, developmental challenges.” Measuring the levels of lead in the soil and the prevalence of these health conditions in the local child population would be indicators of progress.

Indicators for SDG 16

• Indicator for Target 16.6: The number of countries with national action plans on business and human rights.
  
  Explanation: The article provides a precise and measurable indicator by stating, “only five out of 55 African countries have national action plans.” Progress towards this target could be measured by tracking the increase in the number of countries that develop and implement such plans.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: rfi.fr