The importance of raising awareness and tackling the hardships faced by children has never been more apparent – Akbar

Minister for Education Rosy Akbar says engaging young children in hazardous activities, is a despicable act and does not help in their development as it inhibits their physical, mental, social, and educational development, in a very substantial way.

In her message for this year’s World Day Against Child Labour, Akbar says the importance of raising awareness and tackling the hardships faced by children in Fiji and around the world has never been more apparent.

Akbar says child labour must not be confused with activities that help to develop a child become a productive adult when they grow up, such as helping with chores at home or earning some pocket money, during the school holidays and outside of school hours.

The Minister adds the Fijian Government has demonstrated its commitment towards the eradication of child labour in Fiji through various initiatives which provides children with unhindered access to quality education.

She says while there are laws to protect our children, and progress has been made, Fijians must still keep their eyes and ears open to identifying acts of child labour and help the authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Akbar further says there will always be some who choose to live outside the law and force innocent children to become their victims and studies have found that several children have been, and are still, involved in prohibited work such as commercial sexual exploitation and drug peddling.

She adds in some cases, children are given no choice but to engage in work, which takes their time away from education, such as domestic work, street vending, the selling of coconuts, and working as shoeshine boys, amongst others, to help provide for their families.

The Education Minister says the Fijian Government has made it possible for children to get an education for free, textbooks for free and has subsidized transportation to schools, to ensure that our young ones are never left behind.

Akbar highlighted even during the current COVID-19 crisis, the Fijian Government, through the Ministry of Education and in collaboration with FBC, Walesi and Telecom Fiji Limited, have developed educational radio programs, animated educational television series and a LearningHUB, filled with supplementary educational resources, so that children can still get the benefit of education while staying safe at home.

She says people should remember that children are often too young or too scared to advocate on their own behalf, so grown-ups must be vigilant and look out for them.

According to the Fiji Employment Relations Promulgation 2007, the minimum age for the employment of children is 15 years but children are prohibited from engaging in any of these activities:

a) all forms of labour slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and any form of forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children in armed conflict;

b) the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in relevant international treaties; or

c) the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances.

Anyone who is found engaging a child in such prohibited forms of child labour has committed an offence.