– Message from Ministry of Social Protection

THIS year, June 12 has been designated “World Day Against Child Labour” and is being observed under the theme: End Child Labour in Supply Chains: It’s everyone’s business.A comprehensive examination of this theme and the theme for Occupational Safety and Health month which was observed two months ago, reveal a strong similarity in the way the issues therein need to be embraced.
The theme for Occupational Safety and Health Month 2016 was “Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge.” The similarity in these themes indicates that no nation which is desirous of confronting an ‘international scourge’ such as Child Labour can successfully do so in isolation. It must be approached from philosophical and technical angles, with the involvement of all in our society.
It is no secret that one of the main protagonists, in the drive and campaign for the elimination of Child Labour is the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has developed a number of Conventions and Instruments solely for this purpose.
Among those Conventions are # 29 which abhors forced labour, # 105 which is designed to promote the abolition of Forced Labour, # 138 which addresses the Minimum Age of Employment and # 182 which specifically addresses the elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. These are among the more than 40 Conventions which have been ratified by Guyana Governments over the years.
Indeed, the aggregate impact of these Conventions in conjunction with the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, of 2005 is the elimination of all forms and aspects of Child Labour, including its worst forms. We recognise that if this is to be achieved, the Supply chains must be disrupted and broken beyond repair.
The Government of Guyana emphatically denounces Child Labour and subscribes to the view that it must become a concept of the past. After all, Convention # 29 which decries Forced Labour dates back to 1930 and it is envisaged that by the year 2025, all forms of Child Labour, world-wide, should be eliminated. Should this goal be realised, it would mean that the world would have taken some ninety-five (95) years to rid itself of this blight which was imposed on humanity and that is indeed regrettable.
According to the ILO: “Child Labour is often described and condemned as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.”
While this definition seems to be fairly comprehensive, I wish to submit that it fails to take into account the spiritual underdevelopment of a child to which it contributes. That is an issue which needs to be examined in greater detail in due course. However, Child Labour figures are staggering: the current available records indicate that the International Labour Market is besieged with a total of 168 million children involved in Child Labour, and they do so unconsciously to their own dismay.
Indeed, the fact that 168 million children are intricately bound up in work through the Supply Chains which interconnect countries in a Global Economy must be of concern to all. Our efforts must be directed at breaking those chains and putting an end to Child Labour.
The empirical findings reveal that this plague flourishes in environments where social systems and structures are either weak or non-existent. One of the current treatises of the ILO reports as follows: “Child Labour occurs largely in the rural and informal economy, in areas where trade unions and employer’s organisations are often weak or absent and in areas that may be beyond the capacity of labour inspectors to reach. This also holds true for child labour in supply chains where the work may be done in small workshops or homes… Inadequate education systems heighten the risks, and governments must step up their efforts to tackle the problem.”
These remarks are quite revealing and underscore the Government of Guyana’s determination to remove this affliction from society.
The Government’s commitment to the modernisation of the education system which positively impacts on Child Labour as well as its thrust to revitalize and revive trade unionism along with an enhanced Labour Department within the Ministry of Social Protection are manifestations of its determination to eliminate Child Labour.
Our initiatives against Child Labour have as a main pillar, the development and implementation of a robust policy which when completed will confront all related issues in a holistic manner.
Obviously, the foundation of such a policy will be a legal framework detailing the parameters, scope and intention at the national level. Apart from that and the improvement in the education system, specialised programmes via workshops, seminars and symposiums under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Protection will be undertaken.
If Children are in school, they cannot be at work and if they are not at work, then the Supply Chains over time will be broken.
The aims, therefore, will be to sensitise adults and children alike of the high premium to be placed on education, so that Child Labour can be defeated. The multiple Bs’ initiative of our Head of State i.e. Breakfast,,Bus, Bicycles, Boats and Books is certainly a direct approach aimed at eradicating Child Labour and ensuring that the future leaders of tomorrow are not denied their right to education.
Ending Child Labour in Supply Chains is not an option, but an imperative which must be approached from two broad perspectives.

Those are:
a) From the enterprise level
b) From the individual level

We in Guyana are delighted to notify the world that we fully embrace the tenets and principles described in all of the aforementioned Conventions, as well as the ILO’s Multinational Enterprise Declaration (MNE Declaration) which fully supports the extinction of Child Labour.
The MNE Declaration requires that there be a delicate balance between the contributions which enterprises are required to make to “Social and Economic Development and the Respect they give to the Fundamental right of Labour.”
In view of such a noble ideal, the Declaration requires that business adopt as a core value the motto “Responsible Business Means No Child Labour.” Towards that end, all stakeholders particularly those who subscribe to the spirit and philosophy of tripartition are invited to adhere to those principles which are intended to permanently erode Child Labour.
It is no secret that those who indulge in Child Labour, especially those of the worst kind, tend to do so clandestinely because they know that it is an absolute evil. Yet they continue with this iniquitous, and immoral practice unashamedly.
Some of the perpetrators who take pleasure in this mischievous and nefarious conduct have been allowed to do so for such a long time that they now appear to have mastered the art of evasion and avoidance of those who now seek to expose them.
Be that as it may, I want to put on notice that the Ministry of Social Protection has every intention of living up to its name and fulfilling its mandate by working assiduously to root out Child Labour from wherever it may be found. Those places such as sawmills, vulcanizing shops, market places, minibuses, beverage distribution centers, in short,, all who are guilty of this crime are asked to desist from this inhumane practice..
Let us remember that children are not to be treated as chattel. During the school day, they must be gainfully engaged in school acquiring the requisite skills and knowledge. They are our prized gifts from the creator and must be treated with dignity and respect. They have rights which must be upheld and respected. They have a right to be at school enjoying their learning experiences and not on the street burdened and exposed to the nefarious street life. Let us ensure that they are in school and not at work with a confectionery, snack or fruit tray, so that the chains of Child Labour can be effectively broken. .As the theme underscores, it is the collaboration and commitment of all that will uproot child labour from our society. The Ministry of Social Protection is therefore launching a strong appeal for support from all those involved in this practice, to desist and in so doing loosen the stranglehold that is robbing our children of the exuberance of youth.