MONROVIA-Labour Minister, Cllr. Charles H. Gibson, has disclosed in Monrovia that popularizing the proposed Child Labour Act, and the List of Hazardous and Light Work Regulations is vital to enacting the instruments into law.
Minister Gibson told a multi-stakeholders working session on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at the Labour Ministry, that in order for the proposed Act to be accepted by all, it is important for it to be domesticated to address traditional practices associated with the way parents and employers treat children.
Minister Gibson divulged to the mass gathering that the Labour Ministry will play a leading role in dispatching the proposed Child Labour Act, and the List of Hazardous and Light Work Regulations to citizens in the 15 counties.
He said the Liberia Council of Churches, Muslim Council, and all other interest and pressure groups will be appropriately served copies of the proposed documents he hopes could achieve legislative approval before the International Children’s Day national celebration in mid-June, this year. The Government of Liberia, through the Child Labour Act is seeking to provide a conducive atmosphere for the protection and treatment meted out to children in the home, workplace organisations and institutions. The Labour Minister noted that President George M. Weah is seriously concerned about having a law that regulates the way people treat children who are not to be taken into employment and hard labour at tender ages.
The Labour Ministry is collaborating with several local and international organizations including legal consultants, and the United States Embassy near Monrovia to put into place a law that protects children. Before submitting the proposed Child Labour Act to the 54th Legislature, the stakeholders are expected to reconvene soon for the final validation of the instrument.