Guyana: Ministry of Labour empowers communities through Child Labour Awareness

Georgetown, Guyana: The Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Guyana has recently shared an update regarding the hosting of a two-day Sensitization Outreach Campaign on Child Labour Awareness in Region Two (2).

The Ministry, through its official social media page, informed that the residents of Capoey and Tapakuma in Region Two (2) benefited from a two-day Sensitization Outreach Campaign on Child Labour Awareness, which aimed to educate adults and children on the issues of Child Labour and its impact.

According to the update, Ravi Persaud, Regional Labour Officer, led the exercise, where he discussed Child Labour issues such as what is Child Labour worst form of Child Labour, the causes of Child Labour, the impact of Child Labour on Education, Child Labour vs Child Work, penalties for Child Labour, and other topics from September 16-17, 2023.

Residents were also given the opportunity to engage in sporting activities as part of the Ministry of Labour’s Sensitization Outreach to engage with communities to raise awareness about Child Labour and how they play a role in helping the Ministry’s effort.

It also provided an opportunity for the young people to showcase their skills and abilities. Mr Persaud oversaw a friendly cricket match amongst Capoey villagers at the Capoey Community Center Ground.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Tapakuma demonstrated their excellent footwork skills by playing a Football match at the Tapakuma Play Ground.

Through Facebook, the Ministry of Labour also informed that at the conclusion of each game, Mr Persaud congratulated the players and community members for taking part in the Ministry’s sensitization outreach and hoped that they would do their part to help reduce Child Labour.

Besides this, the Ministry of Labour expressed thanks towards the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) of Guyana for presenting Welding and Fabrication, Plumbing, Electrical Installation, and Information Technology training certificates to around seventy-one (71) residents in Sophia.

According to the update, the batch, which comprised thirty-nine (39) males and thirty-two (32) females, received their well-deserved certification on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Sophia Training Centre in the presence of Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIT, Ms Saskia Eastman-Onwuzirike, Human Resource Officer, Ms Melinda Kelly, Technical Officer, and other officials.