GOG, ILO, EU launch anti-child labour programme

Oct 16, 2008 News

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Government, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU) yesterday officially launched the Tackling Child Labour Through Education (Tackle) Programme, with the signing of the Agreements by representatives of the GOG, ILO and the EU.
The Tackle Programme has been launched with financial support from the European Community (EC), and seeks to help to reduce poverty by providing basic access to education and vocational skills training for disadvantaged children and youth.
It is aiming at strengthening the capacity of national and local authorities in the formulation, implementation and enforcement of policies to tackle child labor in coordination with social partners and civil society.
Some 11 countries were chosen, Guyana among them, to be a part of the Tackle Programme, mainly due to the joint EU – ACP (African Caribbean Pacific Group of States) pledge to eliminate the worst forms of child labour, stated in the Cotonou Agreement. The countries were also selected based on the fact that they are all in the lower half of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Human Service and Social Security, Trevor Thomas, who chaired the programme, said that the signing of the agreement strengthened the ties between the government and the international parties that would be involved in the Tackle programme.
He added that poverty is often a major contributing factor which drives children into the working world at a very young age. The school system must be made ‘attractive’ to children, so that they would want to remain in school.
President of the Guyana Trade Union (GTU) Congress, Gillian Burton, approached child labour from the perspective of the labour movement, after lamenting the fact that so few persons had shown up to a function which dealt with something of such dire importance.
Burton highlighted that child labour had been present in Guyana, and in the world, for so long, that it has become culturally acceptable. She said that the role the labour union played in the whole issue of child labour was one of sensitizing their members as to what child labour really is.
In the eyes of the labour union, if the government wanted to prevent child labour, it would need to eliminate factors which contributed to child labour, namely the lowering of electricity tariffs, the lowering of the cost of living, the removal of the 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on basic food items, among other things.
Added to this, Burton said that while the Tackle Programme paid special attention to girls, given the current socio-economical and political situation in the country, attention should be paid to all children, as there were numerous cases of boys being marginalized and subjects to child labour.
“We must tackle the problem from its roots,” said Burton, citing the importance of the creation of jobs and employment opportunities for parents, as parents needed stable jobs so that they could properly provide for their children, and help prevent them from becoming victims of child labour.
“Child labour is a big problem,” said the representative of the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry, Vibert Parvatan, who noted that more energy and more resources need to be expended in order to help the children being subjected to child labour across Guyana.
He called for a more holistic approach to be taken, where all the factors, like education, hunger, poverty suffering, and other; all of which contributed to child labour were addressed. The changing of attitudes of people needed to also be addressed before real change could be seen in the problem of child labour.
Representing the EU was the Head of the Economic and Social Sector of the EU Office in Guyana, Rigo Bel Paire, who congratulated the government on signing the agreement, signifying their willingness and desire to combat child labour.
Like some of the other speakers, Bel Paire noted the connection between poverty and child labour.
He explained that education was one of the primary tools with which to address the situations of poverty and child labour. The EU, explained Bel Paire, in its desire to fight child labour was expending some 40.7 million Euros in different countries.
He continued that Guyana had taken significant steps in the prevention of child labour. He commended the signing of the agreement again, explaining that to succeed in the fight against child labour, partnerships needed to be formed.
The signing, he said, represented a partnership between the government, the EU and the ILO. Further partnerships will need to be formed among the Ministries of Labour, the Ministry of Education, other Government Ministries, various Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and employers.
The Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, was also present at the signing, and spoke of some of the endeavours his Ministry had embarked on, in their efforts to better equip children with a sound education. A solid education, the Minister noted, would see children less likely to falling victim to child labour.
The Health Minister reiterated Bel Paire, and said that partnerships were of the utmost importance in the fight against child labour. The Minister cited that partnerships were not only important between organizations, but also between communities and between individuals.
Congratulating the government for signing the document was Tackle Programme Manager, Benjamin Smith, who said that the ILO was simply facilitating the programme, but would be there to lend whatever advice and help it could.
The Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, delivered the feature address, saying that it was important for children to stay in school. The friendships they build and the relationships they develop are pivotal to the rest of their lives.
Due to this, allowing children to be children, and allowing them to grow and mature was of the utmost importance.

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