Komesha Ajira ya Watoto Mtaani (Eradicating Exploitative Child Domestic Work)

Overview

This project aims at eradicating the exploitation of young girls and women in domestic work and combating trafficking and other modern slavery practices. The project adopts a multipronged approach that incorporates; community engagement and empowerment, legal support to victims and survivors, policy advocacy, public interest litigation, duty bearer engagement, mentorship of young lawyers, and digital and in-person awareness raising initiatives to address both the root causes and consequences of exploitation.

What the Project Addresses

Child domestic work remains one of the most invisible and underreported forms of child exploitation in Kenya, particularly within urban informal settlements. Driven by multiple root causes such as poverty, limited awareness, poor parenting and care structures, weak enforcement of child protection laws, and gaps within the legal framework, many children, especially girls, are pushed into domestic work and exposed to hazardous and exploitative conditions. These conditions include physical and emotional abuse, violence, denial of education, food deprivation, non-payment of wages, and other forms of neglect. Amka Africa works to address the insufficient detection and reporting of child domestic work cases, as well as the limited access to holistic justice.

Interventions

Published a report on the inconsistencies in the legal framework on child employment and domestic work in Kenya. Using this report, advanced policy advocacy for harmonization of the Basic Education Act (2013), the Children Act (2022), the Employment Act (2007) and the Employment (General) Rules, 2014 to close age-related legal gaps that expose children to child domestic work.
Developed an empowerment toolkit for civil society organisations and partners working on child labour to provide a clear guidance on the legal pathways for monitoring and responding to exploitative child labour cases.
Capacity built 40 community leaders and paralegalson identifying and responding to exploitative child domestic labour, trafficking, and other forms of modern slavery cases.
Legally empowered 88 survivors of exploitative child domestic work and trafficking on their rights, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves from further exploitation and to mentor other survivors and vulnerable girls within their communities.
Sensitised 435 duty bearers in Nairobi, Busia, Kisumu, and Kakamega among them chiefs, village elders, children officers and child protection volunteers who are now responding to cases.

Interventions

Supported the rescue of50 (39 girls & 11 boys) survivors of exploitative child domestic work and provided legal aid services to facilitate their access to justice, including the recovery of unpaid wages, the arrest and prosecution of abusive employers and traffickers and mediation with employers. The survivors were also referred to appropriate support services including shelter, healthcare, return to school and safe reunification with their families.
Recovered USD 6,200 in compensation and unpaid wages for 3 survivors of exploitative domestic labour.
Supported 2 adult domestic workers to recover travel/identity documents confiscated by their employers and recruitement agencies.
Filed an ongoing public interest litigation (Milimani HCCHRPET/E433/2025) to determine grey areas in child employment laws in Kenya and compel government to institutionalise structures for monitoring child employment in Kenya.
Mentored 199 university legal clinic students from 13 universities who are now providing legal aid services to survivors.
Conducted robust awareness raising campaigns through digital and mainstream mediato challenge societal norms surrounding child domestic work and to highlight issues of trafficking and exploitation.