Officials at the NCPA told The Morning yesterday (28) that such steps would either be taken with non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) or through State institutions themselves. Meanwhile, officials said that the Authority receives approximately 100 complaints concerning child employment a year, mostly of reports of children engaging in small scale businesses outside supermarkets or by roadsides. The Labour Department also announced this week that it will be amending the Employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children Act, No. 47 of 1956 as amended, in order to make the employment of any person below the age of 18 years in domestic service a punishable offense. Currently, children between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age can be employed as domestic workers.

Source: The Nation July 28, 2021 18:00 UTC