Belize Observes World Day Against Child Labor with Renewed Commitment to Eradication

Today is World Day against Child Labor, and the government of Belize is joining other UN member countries in observing the event. The Day was established in 2002 to raise awareness about issues surrounding child labor and encourage countries to collaborate on developing interventions to address those issues. Today, Minister of Labor Oscar Requena released a message detailing some of the efforts coming from his ministry to address child labor in Belize. Those efforts include joining the “Free of Child Labor” initiative, which sees the collaboration of 31 countries within Latin America and the Caribbean. Requena said that there is also ongoing work in the area of capacity building and reviewing relevant legislation.

Requena also said that his ministry also rolled out sensitization sessions in rural communities where child labor is likely to occur. Those sessions were held in collaboration with the National Committee for Families and Children (NCFC) as part of a larger public awareness campaign.