Jamaicans Urged to Be Vigilant Against Child Labour

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., is calling on Jamaicans to be vigilant against child labour in their communities and report suspected cases of exploitation. 

“You have persons moving from parish to parish that are exploited, trafficked, sent to people who they don’t know to do things that they shouldn’t be doing…it’s right here, sometimes right in front of you and you don’t see it or pick it up,” he pointed out. 

Addressing the Ministry’s World Day Against Child Labour Jingle Competition awards ceremony at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Friday (June 12), the Minister said that one of the clearest indicators of child labour is when children are prevented from attending school because they are required to work. 

He noted that while children can be assigned age-appropriate chores, activities that interfere with their education and development must not be tolerated. 

He pointed out that there is a distinction between household chores designed to teach responsibility and activities that exploit children. 

“Not all things are child labour. Your parents still have the ability to direct you when it comes on to chores, but the problem really comes on…when you have parents, guardians, adults, and sometimes other children who don’t want to just simply teach, but they’re overreaching to use you, and to abuse you, and to misuse you, and to exploit our children,” he lamented. 

Minister Charles Jr. underscored the long-term consequences of child exploitation, noting that many social challenges can be traced to traumatic childhood experiences. 

“It is important for children to get an opportunity to be children, to grow, to learn, to be healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, because a healthy child becomes a healthy adult,” he said. 

He informed that the Ministry continues to strengthen prevention, protection and enforcement efforts while advancing public education initiatives through its Child Labour Unit. 

He encouraged students attending the ceremony to become ambassadors against child labour by sharing what they learn with their schools and communities. 

“It is definitely not just for you to come, to hear it, to lock it up in your brain and to go back home. Talk to your schools about it,” he urged. 

The Minister emphasised the Government’s commitment to addressing the root causes of child labour through social protection programmes, including the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). 

“We’re saying no to child labour and if you need help, come to us. Let us help you, so you don’t have to exploit the child,” he said. 

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dione Jennings, in her remarks, said the jingle competition provided an important platform for children and young people to engage in national discussions about child labour. 

“This occasion brings together children, parents, teachers, mentors, partners, members of the Ministry’s team around the issue that demands our continued attention and, of course, our shared responsibility as we commit to end child labour,” she noted. 

She said that the competition was part of the global campaign to eliminate child exploitation while ensuring that families have access to fair opportunities and decent livelihoods. 

Director of Children and Family Programmes at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Dr. Warren Thompson, said child labour remains a significant concern within the child protection sector. 

“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, play, dream and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. Childhood is meant to be a time of discovery, education and hope, not a time of labour, exploitation or hardship,” he pointed out. 

He commended the Ministry’s Child Labour Unit for using the jingle competition to keep the issue in the national spotlight and for engaging young people in advocacy. 

He encouraged members of the public to remain alert and report suspected cases of child abuse, neglect, exploitation or child labour through the CPFSA’s 24-hour hotline, 211, noting that timely intervention can significantly improve a child’s life. 

The World Day Against Child Labour Jingle Competition was held under the theme: ‘Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults.’ 

It formed part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness, strengthen prevention measures and eliminate child labour in all its forms.