“The situation on this issue is worrying, but the effort that each one makes to change the reality of our country has to be reflected in our attitude, I have always said it, today is the day of change, let's not wait for tomorrow or see the past, ”said Vice President Jafeth Cabrera.

This action has the objective of giving the deserved importance to the execution of projects and activities that help to solve the reality of child labor and comply with the goals contemplated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in this case with target 8.7 for 2025. In this regard, the head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Aura Leticia Teleguario, indicated that six areas have been prioritized in this roadmap: fight against poverty, health policy, educational policy, regulatory and protection framework, awareness and social mobilization, and generation of knowledge.

It should be noted that the actions will be concentrated mainly in the departments where the highest rate of child labor is registered, such as: Chiquimula, Huehuetenango, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, Retalhuleu, Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Sololá, Totonicapán and Zacapa. In addition, during the meeting, they also spoke about the progress made by the departmental committees responsible for addressing this issue and about Guatemala's participation in the Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean free of child labor.

Child labor in Guatemala

The head of the labor portfolio indicated that more than 850 thousand children work in Guatemala and of these 600 thousand do so in agricultural tasks. However, according to Conapeti specialists, they also work in the development of fireworks, domestic work, garbage collection, breaking stones and there are cases of sexual exploitation of minors.

Source: AGN Agency