US report: Guyana does not have comprehensive policy to tackle child labour

Sep 21, 2017 News

Sandra Zuniga, Eco and Commercial Officer from the US Department of Labor, handing over the report to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally.

Guyana’s fight to eradicate child labour is gaining ground but much more needs to be done, according to a new Child Labour Report by the US Department of Labor.
Yesterday, Sandra Zuniga, Eco and Commercial Officer from the US Department of Labor, handed over the report to Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally.
This report would follow to news that Guyana has done well and is now ranked as having “Moderate Advancement.”
“This means that the nation of Guyana is working hard and making successful strides to eradicate the social issues of Child and Forced Labour combined by striving to reach the minimum standards according to International Labor Laws,” the Ministry explained yesterday.
Some of the general findings of the report, as it pertains to Guyana, point to a reduction in child labour.
However, the pace of progress to tackle incidents has slowed with a number of gaps found.
“Exploiters are innovative to profit while evading accountability for their actions,” the ministry said of the findings.
“All governments and other stakeholders should work together more effectively to accelerate progress over the coming decade.”
According to the report, in 2016, the country made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour.
“The Government reformed the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Combating Trafficking in Persons, began developing a National Action Plan and Policy on Child Labour, and finalised the 2017–2018 National Action Plan on Combating Trafficking in Persons.”
However, the report said, children in Guyana continue to engage in the worst forms of child labour, including in mining and commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking.
“Law enforcement agencies have insufficient funding and capacity to enforce laws related to child labour, including its worst forms, and legislation does not fully protect children. Moreover, the Government does not have a comprehensive policy to combat child labour or target social programmes to fully address the extent of the problem.”

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