DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania): The government of Tanzania has saved at least 335,971 children from unsafe environments, including the worst forms of child labour, human trafficking, and violence, between July 2022 and April 2023, an official said Tuesday.

Nandera Mhando, the commissioner for social welfare in the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, said out of the saved children, 167,337 were girls and 168,634 were boys, Xinhua reported.

Noting that these children were subjected to all sorts of degrading treatment, including child labour, violence, poor hygiene conditions, and human trafficking, Mhando said these children were saved after they were identified by local government authorities across the country.

The saved children are now living in 344 government-run children's centres across the country and some of them are living with their relatives, Mhando said, adding that the centres are providing them with basic necessities, including food, clothing, and education.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA