#Kingston, 2 December, 2019 – Jamaica – Divisional Director, Industrial Relations and Allied Services, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ms. Gillian Corrodus, says the Ministry is calling on parents and guardians to ensure that their children are protected and not forced to work.
Speaking at the Ministry’s Eastern Roadshow on November 27 at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, St. Mary, she said that the National Youth Activity Survey of 2016 noted that 895 of the children from St. Mary were involved in child labour.
“This
is far too much. Child labour is a hindrance to a country’s social and economic
growth and if we are to move forward as a nation, then this practice must
stop,” Ms. Corrodus emphasised.
“In an
effort to safeguard our children, and give them a meaningful future, this
Ministry, with the assistance of the United States Department of Labour and
Winrock International, procured a consultant team to develop a National Action
Plan to Eliminate Child Labour in Jamaica,” she added.
Ms.
Corrodus said that in preparation for this plan, the Ministry conducted
regional consultations that included stakeholders from the parish of St. Mary. She noted that these persons provided the
Ministry with an insight into the various causes and the types of child labour
which now exist in the parish.
Ms.
Corrodus pointed out that implementation of the National Action Plan will
commence shortly. She explained that one
main goal of the Ministry, through the ongoing Roadshow, is to link unemployed
Jamaicans with potential employers.
At the
event, hundreds of unemployed persons participated in interviews with
prospective employers, such as Sandals Resorts, Restaurants of Jamaica and
other companies located in and around the parish of St. Mary.
“The
engagement of youth and second career jobseekers remain a primary focus of this
Ministry, and today we have 14 employers providing jobs for persons who have
registered on our enhanced Labour Management Information System portal,” Ms. Corrodus
said.
She
also offered words of inspiration to the jobseekers and students present,
informing them that St. Mary is a parish filled with rich talent, producing
stars such as Oliver Samuels, Capleton, and Lady Saw (now Minister Marion Hall).
The
Ministry hosted the Roadshow under the theme: ‘Safeguarding the values of
dignity in work with true respect for all’.
Contact: Ainsworth Morris
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Photos:
Adrian Walker
Header: Divisional Director, Industrial Relations and Allied Services, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ms. Gillian Corrodus (left), offers words of encouragement to persons who attended the Ministry’s Eastern Roadshow at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, St. Mary, on November 27.
1st insert: Jevaughn Barnett (left), in an interview with Recruitment and Compliance Specialist, Sandals Resorts, Natoya Fletcher, during the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Eastern Roadshow at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, St. Mary, on November 27.
2nd insert: Beatrice Pryce (left), takes part in an interview with Recruiter, United Management Services Limited, Tishanna Taylor, during the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Eastern Roadshow at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, St. Mary, on November 27.