Nearly two-thirds of South Sudan’s children toil in mines, farms, and conflict zones as hunger and poverty deepen. File | AFP

As South Sudan marks the World Day Against Child Labour, a child rights advocate warns that poverty continues to push children out of school and into work, exposing them to crime, substance abuse, and exploitation.

Speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn Show, advocate Godfrey Victor stated that children engaged in labour are often driven by difficult family circumstances, including poverty, parental disability, the loss of guardians, and displacement.

According to Victor, some children work to support younger siblings or provide basic needs for their families, leaving them vulnerable to dangers that affect their future.

“Some say, ‘I have sacrificed to send my two brothers and sisters to school, I am working to provide for them,'” Victor stated. “Some say, ‘I have my mother who is disabled and cannot provide, so I am here to take bread home.’ Others say they lost their parents and were chased from the family house. Poverty is at the center.”

“Children who drop out of school join the street, becoming either labourers or gang members. An idle mind is an evil workshop. A child who is supposed to spend six to eight hours concentrating at school instead spends eight hours accessing drugs, engaging in crime, and adopting these defensive mechanisms.”

Victor stated that children who should be in classrooms are instead spending long hours on the streets, where they face risks of criminal activity and substance abuse.

The advocate also expressed concern over weak enforcement of laws meant to protect children, despite the existence of legal frameworks such as the Child Act. He noted that child labour, the recruitment of children into armed groups, and child marriage continue because laws are not effectively implemented.

“We have beautiful laws, more than Christmas trees for decoration, but we do not have laws that serve the purpose of their creation,” Victor stated. “That is why people commit crimes with impunity. Children are recruited into the army, and we see children working in factories, even though it is an offense to recruit a child into hazardous work.

“Our problem in this country is that law ends up on paper. Even those who pass the laws become obstacles to their implementation. The Child Act provides for the general protection of children, yet you find a Member of Parliament who passed the law sitting in a meeting to hand over a girl child for marriage.”

Victor emphasized the need for systemic change through accountability and proper governance.

“If we allow reality, common sense, the fear of God, and the rule of law to prevail, changes will happen,” Victor stated. “Appoint the right people to the right places who understand how to protect children and pass policies. Let us have a parliament of the people, not a parliament of individuals who do not look into policies that change lives. We still have hope that this country will be a better place.”

Victor called on policymakers, lawmakers, and communities to prioritize child protection by enforcing existing laws and adopting policies that address the root causes of child labour.

The World Day Against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12 to raise awareness and promote efforts to eliminate practices that deprive children of their rights, education, and opportunities.