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Minister refutes US report on child labour

Oct 08, 2012 News

 

 

Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul has dismissed claims in the US Department of Labor (DOL) 2011 report on International Child Labor and Forced Labour that children in Guyana are victims of the “the worst forms of child labour”.
According to the Minister, he has no idea where the US Department of Labor obtained information on Guyana for the report but there is no evidence of child labour on Guyana’s coastland and city where the majority of the population resides.
Dr. Gopaul explained that last year over 400 well-established organizations and privately owned stores around the city were monitored for child labour but there was no evidence.
He admitted that there are instances of child labour in hinterland and agricultural communities. According to the report, Guyanese children working in Guyana’s agriculture sector may be exposed to hazards, including lifting and carrying heavy loads and working with pesticides.
Dr. Gopaul related that when officers made checks in agricultural communities again there was no evidence of child labour. This is probably because in this sector machines requiring the skills of adults are mostly utilized.
He also pointed out that those persons who may have observed activities in agricultural communities could have misinterpreted the presence of children in farms. He explained that it is common for children to assist their families on farms when school is not in session.
This is acceptable under the International Labour Organization (ILO). “The ILO made it clear children can work in family businesses but they must be given an education. But some people who see children working in family businesses do not understand,” Dr. Gopaul said.
He emphasized that in hinterland communities, monitoring businesses regularly, particularly those in mining areas, is difficult owing to the locations. In those communities there may be instances of child labour but Government has implemented programmes to attract school attendance.
These initiatives include the school uniform and the hot meal programmes.
“On the Highway – the entire Kuru Kuru area – 98 percent of the children are in school thanks to a joint transportation programme between Government and the ILO. Students are picked up and taken to school,” he said.
Commenting further on misinterpretations relating to the labour force, Dr. Gopaul said that many youngsters are involved in apprenticeship programmes through the Board of Industrial Training. They are placed at various worksites, even at established entities such as the Guyana Sugar Corporation, to learn trades.
He pointed out that Guyana has active labour unions that are against child labour, making such practices difficult to go unnoticed. In addition, Government has a strong stance against child labour.

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