On June 12 of each year, the World Day Against Child Labor is commemorated, which aims to call for more investment in social protection systems and plans, in order to establish solid social protection floors and protect children against child labour.
Angélica Lavítola, director of Casa Esperanza, gave an overview of the current situation in Panama regarding this issue, assuring that our country has made significant progress in validating the protection of children in terms of labor exploitation.
“We have important laws and regulations, and the permissibility that a teenager can work as long as it is done in safe conditions,” he said.
He added that this is an issue that involves not only regulations but also social and economic policies.
Regarding social policies, Lavítola expressed that it is necessary to break paradigms, change the behavioral pattern that many people have, improve access to education; children must be provided with quality and accessible education (adequate structures, good curricula, good teachers), the other would be access to quality social protection coupled with the promotion of an economic policy that generates decent employment.
In the opinion of the director of the NGO, if all this is achieved, the eradication of child labor can be achieved.
