BUJUMBURA February (ABP) – A consultant from Actionaid, Ms. Aline Nijimbere, reported in Bujumbura on Wednesday January 30, 2019, during a workshop on the normative framework and identifying needs for youth employment in Burundi, that there are no specific laws stipulating the representativeness of young people in decision-making bodies, such as parliament, as is the case in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Ms. Nijimbere announced that efforts have been made by the Burundian government, introducing in 2017 a national youth employment policy, as recommended by the African Youth Charter to the countries signatories of that convention. To this end, “our government has also established a national policy for the protection of children from the worst forms of exploitation,” she said.
She also announced that the preliminary objective of the workshop was to compile and validate the document of the recommendations of the leaders of the civil societies of all the provinces of the country addressed to the government of Burundi and that this document will serve as a plea for youth employment in Burundi.
To put an end to the hard work of the children, the Actionaid consultant suggested to the State that the living conditions of Burundian families should be improved, because many Burundian children sometimes work in search of school materials or other miscellaneous items. Some people are often short of where they can find the money for the purchase of these needs, where some children drop out of school and engage in narcotics or prostitution.
During the discussions, the participants suggested strengthening the education of children, from an early age, fundamental values such as the love of the motherland, for a good base of our society towards a dynamic society. Policymakers and entrepreneurs should take steps to improve youth employment, without any discrimination in relation to the history of individuals, the conditions for obtaining first-job internships and the selection criteria by means of a test or not.
