Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 |
X |
| Ratified Convention 182 |
X |
| ILO-IPEC Associated Member |
X |
| National Plan for Children |
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| National Child Labor Action Plan |
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| Sector Action Plan (Trafficking) |
X |
Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
UNICEF estimated that 27 percent of children ages 5 to 14 in Guyana were working in 2000.[1903] It is common to see children engaged in street trading.[1904] There are reports of an increase in prevalence of child labor.[1905] Though the government acknowledges the growing street children phenomenon, there is still a need to address the problem sufficiently.[1906] Children are known to work as porters, domestic servants, waitresses, in sawmills and markets, and are also engaged in prostitution, agricultural work, mining, and the illicit drug trade.[1907] Girls in the Hinterland area in particular are recruited to work as domestic servants and waitresses in restaurants.[1908] The Guyana Human Rights Association reported that there were cases where girls as young as 11 are recruited to work in bars and restaurants as prostitutes.[1909] Children are also engaged in prostitution in ports, gold mining areas, and the capital city of Georgetown.[1910] Young women and children are known to be trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation mostly within the country.[1911]
Primary education in Guyana is free and compulsory for children ages 5 to 15 years.[1912] In 1999, the gross primary enrollment rate was 120.2 percent (118.3 percent for girls and 122.2 percent for boys), and the net primary enrollment rate was 98.4 percent (97.1 percent for girls and 99.7 percent for boys).[1913] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. Recent primary school attendance statistics are not available for Guyana. Though the government has made concerted efforts to increase enrollment rates and to bring dropout children back into school, dropout rates, particularly among boys, remain high.[1914]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Factories Act and Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act of 1999 sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years.[1915] The Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act prohibits children from working in “industrial undertakings” or on a ship, unless their family members are employed in those undertakings. Penalties are a fine of USD 30 for the first offense and USD 12 for subsequent offenses.[1916] Forced labor is prohibited by the Constitution.[1917] Prostitution of a child under 13 years is illegal according to the Criminal Law Offenses Act.[1918] Sections 83-86 of the Act prohibit the abduction of unmarried girls. Although there is no particular offense of child pornography in Guyana, Section 350 of the Act regulates selling, publishing, or exhibiting an obscene matter.[1919] The Ministry of Labor lacks sufficient inspectors to enforce child labor laws effectively, according to the U.S. Department of State.[1920]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Guyana operates a drop-in center and a shelter for street children. It was established as part of a UNICEF program and operates in collaboration with the Human Services Ministry, the City Constabulary, and the Ministry of Education’s Schools’ Welfare Department. The center operates 24-hours a day and offers some basic education and vocational training opportunities.[1921] The Ministry of Labor, Human Services and Social Security has several programs to eliminate child labor. These programs include participating in a rapid assessment carried out by ILO-IPEC that revealed the existence of the worst forms of child labor.[1922] A campaign by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child to improve birth registrations resulted in more registrations in 2002 as compared to the previous year.[1923]
The Minister of Labor, Human Services, and Social Security leads an interagency task force on combating trafficking in persons in Guyana.[1924] The government appointed an official to oversee anti-trafficking efforts of the government, NGOs, and law enforcement officers.[1925] In an effort to expand public awareness on the problem of trafficking in persons, the Minister has lead a series of meetings with government officials, religious leaders, business representatives, miners, law enforcement officials, teachers, and other community members to discuss actions to take to combat trafficking.[1926] In June and October 2004, government officials, NGOs, and community members participated in training lead by the IOM and the Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States to sensitize participants on the impact of trafficking on a national and regional level, and begin development of a comprehensive response to trafficking in persons in Guyana.[1927]
From 2003 to 2015, Guyana will be receiving USD 52 million from various donors to support its Education For All initiatives.[1928] The three major EFA initiatives in Guyana are (1) improving the quality of the teaching force in the Hinterland, (2) enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools, and (3) strengthening school community partnerships.[1929] The government is also implementing a Basic Education Access and Management Support Project to improve school performance through curricular and pedagogical reform, education management reform, and school infrastructure development.[1930] In August 2004, the Secondary School Reform Project (SSRP) concluded. The project assisted the government to improve on the quality, relevance, equity and efficiency of education in Guyana.[1931] The Guyana Education Access Project is an ongoing project with similar objectives as the SSRP, and is supported by the Government of the United Kingdom.[1932]
In January 2004, the Ministry of Education launched the Basic Competency Certificate Program, which is piloted in six secondary schools and four instructions centers, in an effort to provide affordable and high quality vocation education to older children.[1933] As part of the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training Program, three teachers’ training centers carry-out activities in the Hinterlands.[1934] The Ministry of Labor, Human Services and Social Security launched a school uniform assistance program for the 2003-2004 school year that provides families with vouchers to purchase school uniforms for approximately 10,000 students of all levels to help remove what is sometimes an obstacle for school attendance.[1935] In an effort to further literacy and numeracy achievement goals, the Ministry of Education provided core-subject textbooks throughout the country for schools through the Fast Track Project for the 2003-2004 school year.[1936]
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