193 child labourers return to school: Vuniwaqa
‘We must ensure that we work together to keep children in school so that children can enjoy their childhood’
Close to 200 children from a child labour environment have returned to school. The revelation was made by Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa during the opening of World Day against Child Labour at the Novotel Convention Centre in Lami yesterday.
She said through the profound leadership of the Prime Minister, he ensured that the Government provided the best possible care and protection to all our children. “We ensure that we provide the much needed assistance so that no child is forced into child labour due to displacement caused by the natural disasters and resultant effects,” Ms Vuniwaqa said.
“We have been able to withdraw 193 children from the child labour environment and have returned them to schools with some being admitted into technical training programmes.
“The Fijian Government’s commitment towards the elimination of child labour is also fully enunciated in the law which defines the issues of the worst forms of child labour, minimum age of employment, the rights of a child, conditions on restricting the employment of children, and hours and type of work that a child can perform if he or she is above the age of 15 years, the minimum employment age in Fiji,” Ms Vuniwaqa said.
The Child Labour Unit within the Ministry was set up in June 2011 under the European Union/ International Labour Organisation Tackle project to eradicate child labour and establish a labour inspection process to tackle child labour and encourage children back into schools.