PACIFIC/SEYCHELLES: Elimination of child labour in Seychelles to be used as a model

Elimination of child labour in
Seychelles to be used as model 

 
Minister Ernesta addressing the conference 
 
Seychelles is to be used in a showcase to be advertised worldwide as being a 
country that has eliminated child labour through its socio economic policies 
since 1977.

A delegation from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will visit 
Seychelles during the course of the year to assess the country's various 
economic, social and legal infrastructures to be used in the showcase.

This was agreed during the 91st Session of the International Labour 
Conference held recently in Geneva, Switzerland.

Seychelles was represented at the conference by a tripartite delegation 
headed by the Minister for Social Affairs & Employment Dolor Ernesta.

In his address to the conference, Minister Ernesta noted that the plight of 
so many people living in abject poverty was indeed an indication of the 
structure failures and inequities that still prevailed in this 21st century.

He questioned whether we should not adopt a new approach to trade 
liberalisation – one that recognises the importance of managing trade with 
the objective of achieving development goals.

The minister also spoke of Seychelles' achievements and hard work which have 
propelled it among the rank of a selected group of countries with high human 
development. 

He called on the ILO and its constituents to be pro-active and to work 
closely with the international community to ensure decent work for all our 
people and to also adopt policies that are politically viable, social 
acceptable and adapted to our respective realities to combat poverty.

“Let us not forget that aid and debt relief can only go so far! Given the 
opportunity to trade our way out of poverty the world’s poor will surely work 
their way out of poverty,” the minister said.

While in Geneva Minister Ernesta also had meetings with other officials of 
the ILO with the view to follow up on technical cooperation programmes 
between the organisation and Seychelles.

He also attended three high level meetings, namely, the African Union (Labour 
and Social Affairs commission), the 29B African Regional Labour 
Administration Centre (Arlac) Governing Council and, the High Level Forum on 
New Partnership for Africa Development (Nepad)

Besides Minister Ernesta the other members of the Seychelles delegation 
included Mr Jules Baker, director of International Relations Unit; Mr Olivier 
Charles representing the workers and Mr Gilbert Sultan Beaudouin representing 
employers.
 
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