Labor Department educates Standard Six students on child labor laws

On Wednesday, June 12th, Belize observed World Day Against Child Labor. The Labor Department in Belize took proactive steps by conducting an educational campaign on this crucial topic at different schools. In San Pedro Town, the local Labor Office conducted an informative session with Standard Six students at the island’s Roman Catholic Primary School on Tuesday, June 11th—the presentations aimed to educate the students about the issue of child labor and their rights as children.
Labor Officers Gicely Cal and Shemicha Cattouse led the presentations for the Standard Six students, as this group may soon join the workforce. The students learned about their rights and what to watch for if they started working. Cal informed them about the legal minimum wage of $5 per hour and the tasks suitable for children in the workplace. Cal and Cattouse introduced the Child Labor Light Work list, which specifies the tasks appropriate for young workers. For instance, they mentioned that children aged 13 to 15 can do light work such as citrus picking, planting, covering holes, hand-pick harvesting, and even office work.
The Hazardous Work List for Child Labor prohibits children aged 16 to 17 from mixing and applying chemicals, traveling to and from farms in tractor-trailers, diving for aquatic species as fishermen, and being involved in illegal activities such as working in adult entertainment in the tourism industry.
At the end of the session, the students were quizzed, with many returning to their classrooms with fabulous prizes after answering correctly. Cattouse said this is an ongoing issue in Belize and around the world to end child labor. She stated that educational campaigns are one way to prepare children for the unexpected. Often, children end up in the labor force when families face financial challenges or uncertainty due to poverty, sudden illnesses, or job loss of a primary wage earner. Despite these obstacles, Cattouse mentioned that the Labor Department and the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labor, and Local Government would continue advocating to eradicate child labor.
Other educational presentations were held at St. Martin Government School in Belize City. In addition to the activities held at schools, Cal and other colleagues hosted a webinar on Ending Child Labor through their Facebook page.