Guyana: Ministry of Labour hosts Child Labour Awareness Walk
Guyana: Ministry of Labour hosts Child Labour Awareness Walk || Picture Courtesy: Ministry of Labour - Guyana (Facebook)

Georgetown, Guyana: The Minister of Labour of Guyana hosted a Child Labour Awareness Walk to commemorate this year’s World Day against Child Labour under the theme “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour’.

As per the official update by the Ministry, over 400 participants marched in support of raising awareness and activism to prevent child labour in Guyana.

This successful walk began at Parliament Building and concluded at the Ministry of Labour, located on Brickdam Street, where the participants were welcomed by the Ministry of Labour, Permanent Secretary Bishram Kuppen, Dr Vindhya Persaud, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the department heads of the Ministry of Labour.

Ministry also informed that Gillian Burton-Persaud, Ministerial Advisor, Carvil Duncan, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), and Charles Ogle, Chief Executive Officer of Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry (CAGI), also attend.

In his keynote address, Permanent Secretary Kuppen thanked the participants for realising the importance of assisting the Ministry’s efforts to eradicate all types of child labour.
He stated that the Ministry would continue to increase awareness about the issue of child labour, as well as the mental and physical impacts that children pushed into child labour face.

Kuppen also urged employers to play an important part in the Government’s efforts to eradicate this scourge in society by opposing the use of child labour in businesses.

In June, the Ministry initiated a series of programmes aimed at twenty-five (25) secondary schools around the country to educate students and teachers about child labour, and child labour inspections will be undertaken throughout the year.

The Labour Ministry outlined that throughout June month, similar awareness walks will be held in Regions Four (4), Five (5), and Six (6).

Minister Persaud expressed similar sentiments, stating that teachers should play an important part in teaching their students about their rights as children, the concept of child labour, and the causes and effects of child labour.

She stated that this initiative would complement the Government’s comprehensive policy, which strives to ensure the well-being of every child through its Because We Care, Cash Grant, Cash Grant for Each Child with Disability, and National School Feeding Programmes, among other initiatives.

Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC), ten (10) government schools such as Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), Richard Ishmael Secondary School, Eccles Training Centre and others.