Child labor in our country has not ceased, for this reason, the National Director against Child Labor and Protection of Adolescent Workers of the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), Roderick Chaverri, stressed that they have been in constant tours, meetings and themed tables.
He added that technically, this situation is more one of economic exploitation than child labor.
He explained that great progress has been made in this area. “A week ago we had a visit from the United States Department of Labor, where we met and they told us that the projects and programs that Panama develops want to be replicated in other countries. We took the opportunity to ask them to help us with the mixed registry in the area of the melon because in the tours we have done, we have not detected child labor on the farms that are dedicated to the production of melon; they also offered themselves to a mixed study in the coffee area,” he said.
Chaverri clarified that when cases are detected, each one is studied in a particular way.
“If there are real possibilities that the mother or father can be immersed in a formal job, it is obtained through the Employment Directorate, if they need training, we do it and we enter the child into the educational system; if they do not have resources, they we offer a child labor scholarship,” he said.
The official added that there are also cases of adults who deliberately exploit children, so there they proceed to file a complaint with the Public Ministry because that is what is contemplated in the Penal Code and it is considered abuse.
The expert in this field emphasized that the country’s 20-30 Agenda establishes the possibility of the total eradication of child labor by 2025, however, he warned that this may be possible if joint strategy mechanisms and financial resources are established. necessary, since Panama is not in such a bad position, compared to other countries.
