Trinidad and Tobago strives to eradicate child labour by 2025

Trinidad and Tobago: The Government of Trinidad and Tobago said it is working to end all forms of child labour in the country by 2025. This comes after a study commissioned by the Central Statistical Office in partnership with UNICEF station that 4.3% of children between the ages of five and seventeen are in child labor.

The study also indicated that the conditions of this labour are sometimes hazardous and damage the minors’ health and safety.

Talking about the world, the study disclosed that around 160 million children, comprising 63 million girls and 97 million boys, are at present in child labour globally.

Labour Minister Stephen Mc Clashie outlined that child labour affects minors’ mental and physical health and deprives them of the basic need of education.

He added that work obligations hinder their access to education gives push to poverty and limit future opportunities for them. He also mentioned that child labor usually subjects children to dangerous conditions while adversely impacting their mental and physical health.

The Government has also launched several initiatives to combat underage labor, which include the re-establishment of the National Steering Committee for the Prevention as well as the Elimination of Child Labour to oversee important activities for which 14 government agencies, 2 NGOs, and academia are working together. The administration has also engaged the International Labour Organisation to offer technical support to begin stakeholder consultations towards the development of a child labour policy for the twin island nation of the Caribbean.

The government is also providing training to labour inspectors to boost their capacity in the detection, investigation and prosecution.

Meanwhile, there are ongoing partnerships with the Central Statistical Office for continuous collection of data on child labour while the Ministry is also engaging in online campaigns in the school and within various communities.

Also, 30 ambassadors have been appointed at seven different schools across the country to look over whether students are engaged in any such practices.

The Labour Minister called out the citizens and residents to report any incident of child labour immediately and to work together to eliminate it from the country.