“No price can be placed on the cost of lost childhood and the emotional damage suffered by children trapped in child labour.”
These are the words of the Acting Minister for Employment, Productivity and Public Relations Jone Usamate while opening the World Day Against Child Labour Workshop.
Usamate said the world needs a society where people take action when they witness wrongdoing.
Usamate said child labour is not only found in businesses but in our very homes.
Therefore, child labour needs to be looked at holistically and on a national basis.
Usamate said the 2007 Employment Relations Promulgation legal framework gives the Labour officers and Labour Inspectors the authority to enforce the minimum age of employment and other conditions of employment for children who are above 15 years.
He added those who violate this law can face a fine ranging from $10,000 for individuals or $50,000 for corporations.
According to statistics provided by the European Commission and the International Labour Organisation, Fiji has recorded 173 cases of child labour from 2011 to 2014.
Meanwhile, this year’s World Day against Child Labour theme is “No to Child Labour Yes to Quality Education”.
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