Barbados is the ninth country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to join the Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor. The Minister of Labor, Social Security and Human Resources, Esther Byer-Suckoo, symbolically handed over the signed agreement to the Regional Director of the ILO, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, during the XX Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OAS, held in Bridgetown, Barbados, December 7-8, 2017.

On December 2, Yolande J. Howard, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Human Resource Development, formalized Barbados' adherence to the Regional Initiative. To date, there are 28 member countries of the region aligned under the same objective: to accelerate the reduction of child labor in the region to end it by 2025.

This new adhesion reflects the commitment and value attributed by the Caribbean countries to joint, articulated and tripartite work, between governments, employers 'and workers' organizations, to achieve Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean.

To this end, the Barbados Ministry of Labor has appointed Tricia Browne, a senior administrative officer at the Ministry, as the representative to the group of countries. She is now part of the Network of Focal Points of the Regional Initiative and will work alongside the Focal Points of the other 27 countries, the four representatives of the workers 'organizations, the four representatives of the employers' organizations and the Secretariat team. Regional Initiative Technician, entrusted to the ILO. 

Child labor in Barbados

Barbados is part of the group of countries that have ratified the commitments proposed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, it has ratified ILO conventions 138, on the minimum age for admission to employment, and 182, on the worst forms of child labor.

In Barbados, the minimum age established to work is 16 years, however, according to the latest available estimates of 2014, the incidence of child labor is 3.5% (13,000 people between 5 and 14 years old). 

Among the efforts they carry out to combat child labor, is the creation of the National Committee for the Monitoring of Children's Rights, which seeks to generate policy recommendations in favor of children's rights and sensitize their communities in this regard. . Among its challenges is the creation of the list of light work and hazardous work for minors.