"We can not forget that child labor endangers the lives of children and limits their possibilities of development": Attorney General's Office

As part of the commemoration of World Day against Child Labour, Attorney General's Office, Alejandro Ordóñez Maldonado, calls for national and local authorities, and in general Colombian society for permanent actions that are undertaken to eradicate this form of exploitation that threatens to seriously against children, who by constitutional mandate are subject to protection of their rights prevalent.

This year the commemoration is dedicated to the eradication of child labor in agriculture, industry in which worldwide is the highest rate of child labor (about 70 percent, according to the ILO). The Chief Public Prosecutor urges action is coordinated between different agencies in the fight against all forms of child labor as agricultural work, domestic service, street vending, trafficking of children and work Mining, which in many cases activities threatening the lives of infants and all limits its development potential.

Attorney Ordóñez Maldonado calls attention to the importance of restoring the rights of children and adolescents who have been subjected to any form of child labor, and to be included in state social programs, ensuring their retention in the system educational and recreational and leisure activities in their spare time, and to provide assistance to their families require.

Preventive monitoring

The Attorney General's Office has undertaken since 2005 follow-up preventive management of mayors and governors against the commitment to preventing and eradicating the worst forms of child labor.

For 2008 were updated variables for monitoring, and settled: the inclusion of both development plans and in the action plans of the entities with jurisdiction over the subject (in particular those related to education, health, use leisure and income generation for adults in the household, etc.) and annual operating plans for investment, developing the strategy for the prevention and eradication of the worst forms of child labor and the creation and operation of interagency coordinating bodies (committees, councils or Social Policy working groups) responsible for the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects to address this problem.

This track is currently ahead in relation to the management of period 2011. The governors must submit the information requested by the Control Authority against the variables listed above, management led by the Attorney for the Defense of the Rights of the Child, Youth and Families.