The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) said although the TACKLE Project has been established to eradicate child labour in Guyana it will fail if it does not address the issues which lead to such practices.
In her message on the observance of World Day Against Child Labour observed last Friday, GTUC President Gillian Burton said there was still urgent need for public awareness regarding the causes and effects of child labour and how to curb it. In a press release, she said the Human Services and Education ministries need to collaborate with civil society to find alternatives to the social issues that lend to child labour. “Unless we can concisely examine and truthfully address these issues in a realistic way, TACKLE Project will be an unsuccessful attempt to rid the scourge of child labour from amongst us,” Burton said.
According to the release, local efforts to combat child labour are spearheaded by the National Co-ordinating Team of TACKLE (Tackling Child Labour through Education) Project. However, the GTUC said the labour movement is also tasked with policing the system “so that employers will rethink the enticement to encourage child labour in their businesses.” It said too there are far too many instances of child labour in a country with a small population “and so while we jointly fight to eradicate its presence, we must at the same time find preventative measures.”
Meanwhile, Burton lauded this year’s theme ‘Give Girls a chance – End Child Labour.’ She said though it highlights the centuries-old fact that the girl child had often been overlooked for educational investment, the emergence of gender equality has allowed women to embark on careers in non-traditional areas. She said too today more girls excel in academics than boys and, over time, societies have come to value girls’ contribution and education as much as that of the male child.