Lofa County, Voinjama-Child labor is said to be on the increase in Lofa County. The children are being used by their parents to help crush rocks and mine sand for the upkeep of the family. Most of the children involved are not attending school. While those in school are being forced to join their parents to crush rocks and mine sand for survival.
The child labor is prevalent in the LPMC’s community in Voinjama City and Salaga Road communities, where the rock crushing takes place. The sand mining and rock crushing activities are mostly done by single parents and their Children.
A mother of six children, Yassah Flomo told Rural Reporters News Network (RRNN) that her children help her to crush rock and mine sand as their only means of survival because she does not have a husband to help her. “My children are helping me to crush rocks and do sand mining in the LPMC community here because I don’t have husband, so this is our only means of Survival” Yassah Flomo said.
Six years old Kormassa Flomo, one of the victims, said: “I want to go to school but my ma (mother) says there is no money”, adding, “if I go to school, that’s means I will not eat”. Little Kormassa regrets of not being in school. ” I can sometimes feel bad when I see my friends going to school and I’m crushing rocks and carrying sand on my head the whole day ” six years old Kormassa lamented.
The Mother of baby Kormassa, when contacted said, she is compelled to use the children to help her on grounds that she does not have husband to help her. “I told you that I do not have man; their father left me ever since, I don’t even know his location now, so the small money we get from the rocks crushing, and sand mining, we use it for food and health or pay our rent”, mother Yassa Flomo explains her reason for using her kids to crush rock and mine sand.
Single mother, Mamie Varbah said they are crushing rocks and mining sand to survive because they do not have husbands. “We don’t have men, our men then run away from responsibility, so we can’t let our children suffer, that’s the reason you see us bursting rocks and mining sand”, said Mamie Varbah.
Ten years old girl, Kolu Gayflor said she has never been to school since she was born. “Since I was born, I don’t even know what they called School; the only thing I know, when daybreak we go out to crush rocks and mining sand, so if you can help me Mr. Journalist to send me to school, I will be happy, or if you can help talk to someone for me to help me go to school, God will help you because my mother not get money and our father runaway, for me I don’t even know him”, Little Kolu narrates her ordeal to RRNN.
A staff of the Ministry of Labor who spoke on condition of anonymity said the ministry is aware of child labor not only in Lofa but other parts of country. “We are aware of some of these things but we cannot do anything about it due to logistical and financial constraints faced by the ministry”, said the MOL staff.
The MOL’ staff confirmed that several school going children are currently involved into sand mining and rock crushing activities as well as street selling. According to him, the ministry cannot do anything about the child labor because of limited support.
When contacted, the Ministry of Gender and Children Protection, Lofa County office, described the situation as old age problem that is common to not only in Lofa, but in most parts of the country. Alexander H. Kollie, Social Welfare Coordinator of the Gender Ministry said the ministry is trying hard to engage parents and county’s officials about the issue of child labor, but is faced with numerous challenges.
“We are trying our best but is even difficult to identify those men in the community. Imagine we can find some children in the streets selling but if you ask them, they don’t even know their parents, it makes it difficult for us, said Mr. Kollie.
