Dominican Republic: Only in Central America with Committees for Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor

Dominican Republic: Only in Central America with Committees for Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 3/6/2013

The Dominican Republic is the only country in the Caribbean and Central America to have created local, provincial and municipal committees for the prevention and eradication of child labor.

This achievement was made public at a meeting of the International Labor Organization held in Colombia, last month, from February 25 to 28.

This achievement was made public at a meeting of the International Labor Organization held in Colombia, last month, from February 25 to 28.

The Ministry of Labor, through the United Struggle against Child Labor, presented its policies on Good Practices for the Prevention of Child Labor, which are being applied through 43 local committees created in communities where this struggle has taken hold and become effective.

Deputy Minister, Gladys Sofía Azcona de la Cruz, Director of the United Struggle against Child Labor, represented the Dominican Republic at the meeting in Colombia. She discussed the importance of publicizing the initiatives and programs that seek to eradicate child labor.

Countries in attendance, which included Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Chile, Panama and the Dominican Republic, discussed the programs underway and to be developed.

According to Ms. Azcona de la Cruz, Ecuador is the only other country that has a similar program to the DR. In that program, the community follows up on issues concerning child exploitation in jobs having to do with children working in garbage dumps.

She explained that the National Strategic Plan is currently in effect. Through local, provincial and municipal committees – created by Decree 144-97, a project to eliminate the worst forms of child labor –meetings with municipal representatives will be regular and ongoing to make certain that there are no children being exploited as victims of illegal child labor.