Message from the Hon. Stephen Mc Clashie, Minister of Labour On the Occasion of World Day Against Child Labour

 

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - Monday 12 June 2023

 

 

Continue reading for the full message from the Minister of Labour On the Occasion of World Day Against Child Labour. 

As a country that takes pride in protecting one of its most cherished assets; its children, World Day Against Child Labour (June 12) provides an opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to renew its commitment towards the eradication of Child Labour in Trinidad and Tobago. In this regard, the Ministry of Labour (MOL), through the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour and the Labour Inspectorate Unit, continues to highlight the progress being made by our country to intensify awareness of the plight of child labourers while encouraging citizens to join this campaign to safeguard our young ones and their futures.

The International Labour Organization defines child labour as work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school. Worldwide, Child Labour is one of the issues many countries are faced with and are seeking to address including here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Fact: 160 million children worldwide aged 5 to 17 are in child labour; approximately 1 in 10 children worldwide. Nearly half of children in child labour – 79 million of them – are performing hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety or moral development. These are the global estimates as at January 2020.

What happens if no immediate action is taken?

Approximately 8.9 million more children can be engaged in child labour by the end of 2022 (ILO and UNICEF 2021).

More facts about Child Labour

Long ago, many children performed work which many may say resembled Child Labour. However, there is a distinction between child labour and chores.

Fact: Not all work performed by children is considered child labour. For example, activities such as helping their parents around the home and assisting in a family business are not considered child labour. In fact, these activities can contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families. It can provide them with skills and experience which can help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life. It can however become hazardous work if the chores are burdensome or affect their schooling.

Taking Action   Against Child Labour in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 8.7: “take immediate and effective measures to … secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour and, by 2025, end child labour in all its forms”. Reaching this target requires urgent and accelerated action by all stakeholders to eliminate child labour.

Just as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, it takes more than a village to protect children. Recognizing that child labour is a multi-dimensional issue, the Ministry of Labour continues to partner with Non-Government and Government Agencies and Ministries as well as Schools in the fight against Child Labour. Here is an overview of our most recent efforts:

ü  Reappointment of the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour in February 2023, with members from across Public Organizations including NGOs and Academia.

Chaired by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ms. Kevar Williams, members meet on a regular basis and are currently engaged in carrying out a number of critical activities: -

1. Developing a Child Labour Policy – To formalize a National Plan to address Child Labour
2. Developing a Light and Hazardous Work List – To provide for the protection of children under the age of 18 years, which by its nature or the circumstances is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children
3. Developing Protocols to support collaboration among Agencies – To formalize a referral system
4. Public Awareness Campaigns targeting children and adults to raise awareness about child labour
5. Building capacity and strengthening the Labour Inspectorate Unit of the Ministry of Labour and other Agencies to investigate and eliminate child labour

Trinidad and Tobago has declared 16 years as the minimum age for employment of young persons. This is consistent with the Education Act which makes it mandatory for a child 5 to 15 years to be in school.

ü  Charged with the responsibility to monitor and investigate reports of Child Labour, Labour Inspectors have boosted its monitoring and investigation efforts in collaboration with several internal and external stakeholders and have yielded progress in soliciting reports from the public which are under investigation.

While the Committee turns the wheels in pursuit of their deliverables, the Communications Unit in collaboration with the Labour Inspectorate Unit (LIU) and the Labour Market Information Unit provide support in ensuring that the public is aware of the issues surrounding child labour to ensure its prevention and eradication.

ü  Various public relations campaigns have been launched within the past year as follows:

• Child Labour Sensitization Session and Surveys in Primary and Secondary Schools developed in collaboration with Child Rights Ambassadors of the Gender and Child Affairs Division of the Office of the Prime Minister.
• Children’s Day Influencer Campaign which involved collaborations with Aaron Duncan, local music artiste, Student and social media influencers Stephon Felmine, Teacher, Morvant Laventille Secondary School and Kerwyn Springer, Student Hub CEO.

ü  Outreach Activities

The following outreach activities were conducted in collaboration with stakeholders:

• Child Labour Sessions at Easter Camps hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
• Participation in Inter-Ministerial Outreach Events that target children and adults
• World Trafficking in Persons Day hosted by the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU), of the Ministry of National Security
• Radio features which showcased the voices of children who won the Ministry of Labour’s Video Monologue Competition lobbying for their rights across all radio stations facilitated by the Information Division of the Office of the Prime Minister - Communications.
• Media Interviews on popular morning shows to continue the public engagement on this important national issue and regular Social Media engagement.
• Child Labour Art Exhibition at Tower C Lobby, International Waterfront Center

ü  International Partnerships to fight against Child Labour in T&T

Engaging in strategic interventions and building the capacity of the Labour Inspectorate Unit to tackle child labour continue to be facilitated through the unwavering support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). These were demonstrated by:

• Training on communicating with children at risk of / in situations of Child Labour facilitated by the ILO and the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (CATT).
• Financial, technical and technological support from the ILO’S Caribbean Office including the donation of digital devices for use by all Labour Inspectors towards digitalizing Inspections including Child Labour investigations.
• Technological Support for the development of an Electronic Case Management System to track and monitor complaints and investigations facilitated by the ILO
• Technical advice on initiatives for strengthening the capacity of the LIU and National Steering Committee on data collection mechanisms to address child labour locally
• Training on Trafficking in Persons – Basics in Trafficking, victim identification and Response Planning by the IOM and CTU.

In commemoration of World Day Against Child Labour (June12), the MOL in collaboration with Children’s Authority, ChildLine and TTT will launch a Jingle Competition for Secondary School Students to engage children on this important issue, that affects them. This Jingle Competition aims to produce a jingle echoing the voices and promoting the rights of all children of T&T.

 

ü  Upcoming

Over the next year, the Ministry will ramp up its public Outreach efforts at Malls and Communities far and wide, including targeting remote communities that require direct engagement with the view to providing access to support services which can mitigate the incidents of Child Labour from occurring and recurring.

As line Minister for the protection of children from illegal employment and as a Member for Parliament and father, I have a vested interest in the well-being and development of our Nation’s children and I must reiterate that tackling Child Labour in our country is merely impossible as a single entity. Therefore, I urge you, fellow citizens, to join me and my Ministry in this national fight against Child Labour. Help us to enable the life that a child deserves. Allow children to access their rights to an education and childhood. Make a report if you see children below age 16 working instead of going to school and enjoying their childhood.

I urge parents to seek the varied support services available to ensure that children are allowed to be children and to ensure that Social Justice is enjoyed by all in Trinidad and Tobago.

Help us End Child Labour in our beloved country.

Happy World Day Against Child Labour T&T!

 

 

 

 

For further information please visit the Ministry’s website at www.labour.gov.tt. Or contact the Corporate Communications Unit: Tel: 625-8478 Ext. 1203,1509,1208 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

 

 

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