Child Labour deprives children of their education- Minister Scott.

DPI/GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Students of six (6) schools, Queenstown Secondary, Dolphin Secondary, Lodge Secondary, Carmel Secondary, Sophia Special School and St. Winefride’s Secondary participated in the Ministry of Social Protection’s, Department of Labour and the Ministry of Education’s collaboration, to observe World Day Against Child Labour.

Senior Schools Welfare Officer within the Ministry of Education Onika Pearson, in brief remarks, reinforced that child labour deprives a child of a sound education.

“Child Labour is a societal scourge which robs our children of the most fundamental reason for their existence, which is to acquire a sound education. As a consequence, their potential of becoming productive and successful adults is hindered” Pearson emphasised.

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott reminded students that their childhood is important to their development and no one has the right to take it away from them. The Minister was the keynote speaker at Children Walk for World Day Against Child Labour, which started from the Parliament Building and ended at the Jubilee Park, Monday.

Minister Scott in his address to the nation for Day Against Child Labour reminded that Child Labour is a man-made problem and since the foundation of the problem is known, its solution should not be too difficult to determine and apply.

The Minister stated that children should not be made or forced to go to work

while they are still in school and they must be allowed to remain in school and complete their Primary and Secondary education.

He explained that the government’s strategies, plans, and programmes against Child Labour, were developed against the background of the Constitution; The Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, of 2005, The National Youth Policy 2016, The Education Act, Chapter 39:01 The Relevant Labour Laws and the various International Labour Organisation Conventions and Recommendations to which we subscribe.

According to the International Labour Organization, the term “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. Child Labour therefore refers to work that:

• is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children;
• interferes with their schooling, by depriving them of that opportunity;
• obliging them to leave school prematurely; and
• requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

World Day Against Child Labour 2017 is being observed under the theme “In Conflicts and Disasters Protect Children from Child Labour” with a sub-theme, “In Difficult Circumstances Protect children from Child Labour”.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the actions needed to eliminate it.

 

By: Delon Sancho