June 17th: This year, to mark the annual occasion of World Day Against Child Labour under the theme “Children should not work in fields but on their dreams”, celebrated on June 12 around the globe, Staff of the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development’s, Members from the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour and other stakeholders, took to the streets of Port of Spain to March Against Child Labour in Trinidad and Tobago.
Clad in white, representative of the purity and innocence of children, eager marchers held key messages on Child Labour in the form of signs and blended their voices in one Chorus while Marching from the International Waterfront Centre to Independence Square and back chanting: Child Labour: Spot it, Stop it, Report it!
Senator the Honourable Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, who during the time of the March, was engaged in a Cabinet Sitting, still added to this Chorus via her video message and was also fashionably decked in white. Minister Baptiste-Primus urged parents not to prevent their children from obtaining an education to work because of poverty and also encouraged Trinidad and Tobago, through this campaign, to be our brothers’ keepers and remove child labour because our children deserve a future that recognizes education as a right.”
Following this March, members from the Ministry’s Labour Inspectorate Unit, whose remit is to investigate reports of Child Labour and take the necessary action, staged a four scene play which depicted Child Labour on a farm after which time participants were engaged in an interactive trivia to ensure that they fully understood the full gamut of Child Labour.
We invite you to take a look at our video feature in the youtube link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe9WjO3AQCc
Currently the legal age of employment of young persons is 16 years old, which means that no child below this age should be employed. The Ministry will continue its sensitization to raise awareness on Child Labour with the aim of preventing and eliminating it, with its upcoming Child Labour Community Caravans across Communities and across Primary and Secondary Schools within Trinidad and Tobago.