Children march against child labor
Earlier in this newscast we reported on the settlement of a labor dispute in Pomona Village between the Citrus Company of Belize and its employees. While the issue in Belize City revolves around the subject of labor, the steps being taken now are intended to keep the next generation of employers and workers in school a little longer.
Over a thousand primary school students took to the streets of Belize City to March against the abuse and neglect they see taking place among their fellow peers and classmates. The young protesters were crying out for an end to child labor. A problem children organizations say is becoming far too common in Belize. The parade, which is just one of the activities for this week?s observance of Children’s Week, was organized by the National Committee for Families and Children in conjunction with the Pediatric Society.
Sharon Palacio, Coordinator, Children?s Day Planning Com.
“The message today is raising an awareness about the issue of child labor and besides that we are working in solidarity with a global march that happen in the Philippines and come to end in Geneva. So you can see all the slogans and there is a lot of messages going out that child labor is a problem.”
Dr. Cardo Martinez, President, Pediatric Society
“One of the things that we are aware of that is happening in the big agricultural industry which is sugar, banana and oranges, but what we also see in Belize whereby quite a few kids are out selling newspapers and we believe they should be in school.”
A recent survey done by the education department reveal that on any given day, you can find close to four hundred primary school aged children out of the classroom and on the streets of Belize City working.
Sonia Tun, 14 years old
“We are parading against child labor because to we it is very important because most children in our society has to stay home, mind their fellow siblings while we are at school and they should be at school learning what we are learning because they have a right to an education.”
The children also had messages for the parents.
Michael Jones
“For mek their parents stop keep they pickni home and mek they go work; send them to school.”
Dejon Tucker
“To make their children go to school and have a better education for education is the key to success.”
According to Carol Babb, a member of the Belize District Education Council whenever they see a student is regularly absent from school they try to address the situation by either speaking with the student, contacting the parents or even visiting the child’s home. But despite the school’s effort, children are still staying away from school.
Carol Babb, Member, Belize District Education Council
“Most of these children have financial problems. Some children tell you they don’t come to school because there is nothing to eat, we have some cases that our school where some children say teacher, I don’t come to school because, I don’t have anything to eat. We tell the children come to school we will find them something to eat.”
As the parade moved down Central American Boulevard and turned into Caesar Ridge Road, we observed “out of school” children watching their friends fight for their rights. According to some of the young boys we spoke with, they are no longer in school because their families do not have the money to send them.
Dr. Cardo Martinez
“I think it is equally a concern, like the other partners in this, like the National Commission and the reason I say that, the essence of pediatric care is the well being of the child and no longer pediatric care is biologically curing a child but rather his holistic approach. So we are happy and excited about what we are seeing today.
Now we don’t pretend to have the answer because each and every individual family has his or her demands, but what we are doing here is to cause reflection and to see how as a country we can look at the better options.”
While it is important for parents and children to be reminded about the importance of an education, it is equally important for the government and schools to address the growing problem of unemployment. For as long as there are parents who are out of a job the problem of child labor will remain a difficult and complex one to solve.
Children’s Week this year is being observed under the theme: “Safeguard the Rights of Children, Secure their Education and Development Now.”
