South to South agency cooperation
A delegation from the Papua New Guinea Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR) visited the Fiji Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations (MEPIR) office in Lautoka, Fiji, to discuss and learn more about the processes and good practices to set up and operationalizing a Child Labour Unit.
4 May 2015
Issues discussed during the delegations visit included child labour provisions in the legislation, role of labour officers and inspectors in regards to child labour, and the Fiji National Employment Centre as an avenue for assisting children over the minimum age of employment with further training.
The issue of child labour is a priority for the Government of Papua New Guinea, who would like to institutionalize a Child Labour Unit within the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR).
Fiji is currently the only country in the region to have established a Child Labour Unit, database and conduct child labour inspections, and is also the only country in the region with successful prosecutions of child labour and child trafficking cases. The MEPIR has become an important resource hub for other Labour Ministries and government departments in the region.
Mr. Kornet Sapulai, Executive Manager, International Relations & International Cooperation (DLIR) said “South to South cooperation between Fiji and PNG has helped us (PNG) a lot in terms of our social reforms, the usefulness of the information that we have gathered from the forum and our discussions with the Fiji government is invaluable, and we hope that this collaboration and sharing of information, especially on child labour issues will continue well into the future.”
Mr. Sapulai stated that it was their hope that the two Ministries would be able to sign an agreement on child labour collaboration, which could be discussed further when PNG officials meet with their Fiji counterparts for the next OSH signing.
The issue of child labour is a priority for the Government of Papua New Guinea, who would like to institutionalize a Child Labour Unit within the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR).
Fiji is currently the only country in the region to have established a Child Labour Unit, database and conduct child labour inspections, and is also the only country in the region with successful prosecutions of child labour and child trafficking cases. The MEPIR has become an important resource hub for other Labour Ministries and government departments in the region.
Mr. Kornet Sapulai, Executive Manager, International Relations & International Cooperation (DLIR) said “South to South cooperation between Fiji and PNG has helped us (PNG) a lot in terms of our social reforms, the usefulness of the information that we have gathered from the forum and our discussions with the Fiji government is invaluable, and we hope that this collaboration and sharing of information, especially on child labour issues will continue well into the future.”
Mr. Sapulai stated that it was their hope that the two Ministries would be able to sign an agreement on child labour collaboration, which could be discussed further when PNG officials meet with their Fiji counterparts for the next OSH signing.