The Ministry of Labour on Thursday launched an all-out offensive against child labour and intends to deploy a variety of weapons in the campaign.
While there has been no compelling evidence on record indicating serious cases of child labour in Guyana, the Ministry acknowledged that it has not been able to properly cover many locations in the interior where the scourge is suspected to be present.
According to Chief Labour Officer Mohammed Akeel, over the last three years the ministry has recorded less than a dozen cases annually of this problem.
He was speaking with reporters following the launch of the ministry’s programme aimed at stamping out every form of child labour. The United Nations-designated World Day Against Child Labour was observed worldwide on Thursday.
During its campaign the ministry intends to signal to all and sundry that “Child labour is against the law,” Akeel declared during his formal presentation to a gathering at the Rupununi Room, Hotel Tower.
During that address he recounted the evolution of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention which addresses the issue of the worst forms of child labour which within two years was ratified by over 113 countries including Guyana.
He noted that the article specifies that children between the ages of 15 and 18 could be employed but the work must not be dangerous to their health and safety.
He pointed out too that in 1999 the national labour law and Education Act was amended to take the compulsory school age up to 15 years old. He said further that the Employment of Young Persons Act was also amended to make 15 years old the approved age.
“As it is now no one under the age of 15 should be at work, rather they should be at school,” Akeel said. He also noted that the ministry is working towards ensuring that no one below 15 is employed.
Akeel said too that work is in progress to have employers enter into their employees’ register the date of birth of all their employees. To this end he urged that employers should not employ someone if they cannot verify their age.
Domestic chores
In some rural communities children are seen carrying out many duties. Differentiating this from child labour, Akeel explained that domestic chores including work in family gardens and the like, which does not affect their attendance at school, is not deemed child labour.
“Children under 15 should not work and though it may seem like short-term gain in the long run the effects are felt by them and can affect their future,” Akeel pointed out.
Asked about evidence of the problem in the formal and informal sectors, Akeel told reporters that most of the cases have been found in the informal sector, particularly where some children were found vending. He said however that there were not many cases noted in the formal sector.
He cited a case in Essequibo where some children were employed in a joinery shop and when confronted the employer said he was just helping out the children.
He noted another case where two young Amerindian girls were found working in Skeldon. Akeel said the ministry had contacted the Amerindian Affairs Ministry and the employer was later charged but the girls never returned to give evidence against the employer.
In that light Akeel was asked to comment on the ministry’s enforcement capability and he responded that they currently have 16 officers but while there was reliable monitoring in the coastal areas, it was still a challenge to monitor the interior locations.
The Ministry of Education is on board with its sister ministry to help root out child labour, especially in instances where truancy is detected.
In his message to mark the day, Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir had said that too many children were not in school because they were engaged in economic activities.
“While we acknowledge that Guyana is not plagued with incidences of the worst forms of child labour, we do acknowledge that too many of our children are not in school and are involved in economic activities. This is why we have made the elimination of child labour, in all its forms, one of our national priorities”.
He said the objective was to eliminate all forms of child labour from workplaces “using education, policing, prosecuting and offering our youths information on where to acquire education and skills”.
Nadir warned “For those persons who engage underage persons you are not helping that child or his family, you are harming them and you are also breaking the law”.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Labour Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas emphasized that Thursday’s launch was not geared towards re-inventing the wheel since there is ongoing work in tackling child labour. However he said the ministry is now giving greater focus to dealing with it.
He acknowledged too that the ministry’s role goes beyond just ensuring a good employment and industrial relations climate. The permanent secretary also pointed out that the ministry is playing a role in empowering 1,700 youths under the youth empowerment programme of the Board of Industrial Training.
He said too that the fight against child labour has to be cross-sectoral, noting the participation from the Ministry of Education. Junior Education Minister Dr Desrey Fox also delivered brief remarks at the launch.