PANAMA CRIMINALIZES WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

UNCLAS PANAMA 001174 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL ELAB PA SUBJECT: PANAMA CRIMINALIZES WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR ¶1. (U) President Torrijos signed an executive decree June 12 to identify and criminalize the worst forms of child labor, marking a significant step in the fight against the worst forms of child labor in Panama. Emboffs attended the signing ceremony, held in a school gymnasium in Penonome, Cocle Province. The First Lady, Minister of Education, Minister of Social Development, and Acting Labor Minister were also in attendance, joined by over 800 schoolchildren who were former child laborers. ¶2. (U) The decree is an essential step for Panama to ratify the International Labor Organization's Convention 182 on the elimination of the worst forms of child labor. It identified 17 categories as the worst forms of child labor, including the use of children in drug trafficking, criminal activities, and sexual exploitation. The decree also established the minimum working age at 14 and specified the right of children to fair pay for their labor. In addition to the signature of the decree by Torrijos and Acting Labor Minister Cedeno, the President received the National Plan against child labor. ¶3. (U) Following the signing, the President and First Lady handed out checks to the children in attendance to help support their families and thus allow them to stay in school. The 800 schoolchildren were of all ages and from all over Panama. Each child received $120, the first of three disbursements over a three-year period. The children had been working in a variety of fields, from picking coffee beans to sorting garbage and selling candies on the streets, and were chosen by the GOP's technical secretariat on child labor. None of the children Emboffs spoke to said their parents had regular jobs. ¶4. (U) Throughout the energetic and colorful ceremony, Pres. Torrijos and the First Lady reiterated their support for the fight against child labor, stating that the elimination of the worst forms of child labor was a big priority for the GOP. The signing of this decree and the financial support given to over 800 families are certainly important. How the GOP now proceeds to follow through on its commitments remains to be seen, especially by the estimated 50,000 child laborers in Panama. ARREAGA