Baseline Study on the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Parika, Guyana
September – December 2004 Prepared by the Bureau of Statistics, Guyana
i Copyright @ International Labour Organization 2005 First published 2005
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Baseline Study on the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Parika, Guyana Port of Spain, International Labour Office, 2005
The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval.
ii Preface
The Bureau of Statistics is extremely pleased to have been associated with the ILO/CIDA Regional Child Labour Project in the execution of the baseline survey on the worst forms of child labour in Parika, Guyana.
The completion of this survey represents another milestone in the ongoing programme to enhance the national information grid on economic and social issues, since the re-establishment of a Survey Unit at the Bureau of Statistics in 1992. This has facilitated the Bureau of Statistics’ continuous programme of census and survey activities in conjunction with domestic, regional and/or international partners, as in this present survey.
Guyana is an integral member of the international community and is committed to many international conventions such as the ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Reference has been made in previous studies to the cultural underpinnings of child labour within Guyana. However, Guyana, like other countries of the global community acknowledges and recognizes the rights of the child, and is committed to eradicate any norm or activities that threaten these rights. More importantly, the eradication of child labour in its worst forms is totally consistent with the Government’s programme to reduce and eliminate poverty in the medium to long term.
Any activity to further empower the policy decision machinery is highly commendable and the initiative of the ILO/CIDA Regional Child Labour Project in this regard deserves the highest praise. It is hoped that the findings of this pilot project, conducted in Parika, will serve as a means of sensitizing the populace and will inform the formulation of policy initiatives and future interventions in this regard.
The additional databases provided by recent social sector surveys such as the Living Conditions Survey (1999), the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2001), where the women and children comprised the target population, and the impending census (2002), will indeed be complementary to the data now derived from this present survey.
The Bureau of Statistics is appreciative of the cooperation of all respondents and the commitment of its own staff, and all others, associated with the successful execution of this survey.
Lennox Benjamin Chief Statistician
iii iv
Acknowledgements
The Baseline Study on Child Labour in Parika and its environs was the result of collaborative work between the Bureau of Statistics and many institutions and individuals. One such institution was the International Labour Organization, Subregional Office for the Caribbean, which financed the study and provided technical advice and general support to the project.
Mention must be made of ILO staff members Mr. Leslie Bowrin and Ms. Silvanna Vargas who worked tirelessly in making sure that all administrative and technical matters were addressed in an efficient and timely manner.
Members of the National Committee on Child Labour (NCCL) identified the geographical area of the survey and contributed towards the general planning and execution of the survey. Further, members closely monitored the performance of the Bureau of Statistics (BOS) in its execution of the survey. The relation with the Committee was very cordial and constructive. The BOS is very appreciative of the inputs of the NCCL whose members are:
1. First Lady, Mrs. Varshnie Jagdeo – Chairperson 2. Ms. Sandra Hooper – Alternate Chairperson 3. Mrs. C. Parris-Sinclair – Secretary 4. Mrs. Pauline Critchlow – Member 5. Ms. Michelle Rosemund – Member 6. Ms. Yyonne Arthur – Member 7. Ms. Dorette Sealey – Member 8. Mr. Sydney Scott – Member 9. Mr. Andrew Hicks – Member 10. Ms. Avril Crawford – Member 11. Ms. Rosamund Daly – Member 12. Mr. Ian Manifold – Member 13. Ms. Patricia Grey 14. Ms. Camille Mentore
There were other individuals whose contributions were also critical to the efficient conduct of the study, especially Mr. Andrew Hicks, the Researcher attached to the project, who provided valuable literature reviews. As Coordinator, my tasks were the overall supervision of the project, analysing the data and writing the report.
Mr. D. Seelochand, Deputy Chief Statistician at the BOS, contributed towards the fine tuning of the questionnaires. The data processing team comprised Mr. John Mensah (Consultant to the BOS), Mr. Peter Acol (United Nations Volunteer) and Mr. David Goolsarran (data processing specialist). They assisted in the question construction of the data collection instruments and built the Access data capture files which were used in the data processing phase of the operation.
Important administrative support by the BOS was provided by the Chief Statistician of the BOS, Mr. Lennox Benjamin, Mrs. Pauline Forte and Mrs. Gillian Foster, Head of Human Resources and Financial Administration and Administrative Manager respectively.
v BOS statisticians Mrs. Jacqulene Tull, Ms. Dale -ann Luke and Ms. Shelfraa Torrington were effective in delivering lectures and participating in the field staff training.
The field staff who worked on the survey were:
Field supervisor
Mrs. Florence Younge
Enumerators Data Entry
1. Mr. Pearson Coheron Anderson 2. Ms. Ryan Diantre Branford 3. Ms. Biseasar 4. Ms. Simon 5. Ms. Matthews 6. Ms. Sandiford 7. Ms. Callender 8. Ms. Stoby 9. Ms. Conway 10. Mrs. King
Ian Manifold Coordinator February 05
vi CONTENTS
Page Nos.
Executive Summary...... 1
CHAPTER 1 Introduction...... 5
1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND...... 5 1.2 JUSTIFICATION...... 8 1.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT ...... 9
CHAPTER 2 Child Labour in Guyana ...... 11
2.1 INTRODUCTION...... 11 2.2 CHILD LABOUR...... 11 2.3 POVERTY AND THE ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HOUSEHOLDS...... 13 2.4 EDUCATION IN GUYANA...... 14 2.4.1 THE STRUCTURE AND DELIVERY OF EDUCATION ...... 14 2.5 THE HEALTH SITUATION IN GUYANA...... 18 2.6 THE FAMILY AND ITS BASIC FEATURES...... 19 2.6.1 STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY IN GUYANA ...... 20 2.6.2 KEY CONSTRAINTS TO THE FAMILY...... 20 2.6.3 CHILDREN AND YOUTH...... 21 2.7 THE ECONOMICS OF CHILD LABOUR ...... 21 2.7.1 THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ELIMINATING CHILD LABOUR...... 22
CHAPTER 3 Methodology ...... 25
3.1 GENERAL AND SPECIFIC GOALS...... 25 3.2 POPULATION UNDER STUDY AND RESEARCH AREA ...... 26 3.2.1 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF CHILD LABOURERS...... 26 3.2.2 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY...... 27 3.2.3 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY...... 28 3.2.4 RELEVANT QUESTIONS ADDRESSED IN THE STUDY...... 28 3.3 RESEARCH STAGES AND FIELD WORK...... 29 3.3.1 THE PILOT...... 29 3.3.2 ENUMERATORS’ TRAINING...... 30 3.3.3 PUBLICIZING THE SURVEY ...... 31 3.3.4 THE FIELD WORK ...... 31 3.4 RESEARCH VARIABLES, DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES AND INFORMANTS...... 33 3.4.1 RESEARCH VARIABLES...... 33 3.4.2 DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES...... 34 3.4.3 INFORMANTS...... 35 3.5 DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS...... 35 3.5.1 INSTRUMENTATION...... 35
vii 3.5.2 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE INSTRUMENT...... 36 3.5.3 ANALYSIS ...... 36
CHAPTER 4 Description of Parika and its environment...... 39
4.1 PARIKA’S POPULATION...... 39 4.2 THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD IN PARIKA...... 40 4.3 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DWELLINGS AND HOMES ...... 42 4.4 DURABLES POSSESSED BY HOUSEHOLDS...... 46
CHAPTER 5 Research Findings on Child Labour...... 47
5.1 INTRODUCTION...... 47 5.2 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE PLACE OF WORK...... 47 5.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKING CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS...... 49 5.4 THE WORKING CHILDREN’S EDUCATION ...... 49 5.5 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD LABOUR IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS...... 52 5.6 THE WORKING CHILDREN’S SECONDARY ACTIVITIES AND THEIR FIRST JOB...... 56 5.7 WORKING CHILDREN’S NON-WORK ACTIVITIES AND LEISURE ...... 57 5.8 ASSISTANCE TO THE WORKING CHILDREN...... 58 5.9 FAMILY MEMBERS LIVING WITH THE WORKING CHILDREN...... 59 5.10 THE CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES, EXPECTATIONS AND FEELINGS...... 60 5.11 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOME...... 62 5.11.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOUSE...... 62 5.11.2 LIVING ARRANGEMENTS...... 67 5.11.3 THE EDUCATIONAL STATUS OF THE CUSTODIANS...... 72 5.11.4 THE EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF THE CUSTODIANS...... 73 5.11.5 THE EXPECTATIONS OF T HE CUSTODIANS...... 75 5.11.6 CHARACTERISTICS OF BOYS AND GIRLS UNDER 18 YEARS...... 76 5.11.7 CUSTODIANS’ ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS...... 79 5.12 CHILD LABOUR CONSEQUENCES ON EDUCATION, HEALTH AND INCOME...... 81 5.13 CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPLOYERS...... 82 5.14 CHARACTERISTICS, PERCEPTIONS AND COMMITMENT OF KEY ACTORS ...... 84
CHAPTER 6 Conclusions ...... 87
6.1 CHILD LABOUR ACTIVITIES IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS...... 87 6.2 THE FAMILIES, SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES ...... 88 6.3 ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS...... 88 6.4 HAZARDS FACED BY THE WORKING CHILDREN...... 89 6.5 THE ABSORPTION OF MORE CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS AND HEALTH FACILITIES...... 89 6.6 THE CONTEXT WITHIN WHICH THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOUR OCCURS...... 89
CHAPTER 7 Recommendations...... 91
References...... 97
viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The quick count of child labourers in Parika and environs ...... 9 Table 2: Working children in the Stabroek market and environs ...... 9 Table 3: Percentage of working children 5–14 years, Guyana 2001 ...... 11 Table 4: Education as a percentage of the national budget...... 16 Table 5: Annual percentage changes in allocations to education...... 16 Table 6: Summary of education system...... 17 Table 7: Schools, students and teachers...... 18 Table 8: Total health institutions by region for the year 2000...... 19 Table 9: The daily earnings of custodians by their sex...... 22 Table 10: The number of respondents by different categories...... 36 Table 11: Parika’s population by sex and age ...... 39 Table 12: Main source of livelihood by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over ...... 40 Table 13: Households in Parika from which persons are living abroad ...... 41 Table 14: Employed persons by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over ...... 41 Table 15: Main source of drinking water in Parika ...... 44 Table 16: Type of toilet facility in Parika...... 44 Table 17: Durables possessed by households in Parika...... 46 Table 18: The working children’s setting by sex...... 48 Table 19: The working children’s other setting by sex...... 48 Table 20: The number of working children by sex and age ...... 49 Table 21: Ethnic distribution of working children in the survey...... 49 Table 22: The allocation of working children according to schools they attended ...... 51 Table 23: Working children's main economic activity by sex...... 52 Table 24: Working children's other main economic activity by sex...... 53 Table 25: Age at first job by sex...... 57 Table 26: Organisations providing help by sex...... 58 Table 27: Type of help by sex of working children...... 59 Table 28: Persons living in the home by sex of working children...... 59 Table 29: Working siblings under 18 by sex of the working children...... 60 Table 30: Work status of custodian by sex of the working child...... 60 Table 31: The daily earnings of custodians by their sex...... 74 Table 32: Children living in homes in which at least one child is working...... 76 Table 33: Custodians’ report on amounts paid/earned per day by working children...... 79 Table 34: The profile of community leaders...... 84
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Marital/union status of persons by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over.. 40 Figure 2: Declared earnings per month of residents 15 years and over in Parika ...... 41 Figure 3: Major activities of Parika residents 15 years and over...... 42 Figure 4: Household ownership in Parika...... 42 Figure 5: Land ownership in Parika...... 43 Figure 6: Dwelling type ...... 43 Figure 7: Outer wall construction material in Parika...... 44 Figure 8: Household lighting ...... 45 Figure 9: Household fuel for cooking...... 45
ix Figure 10: Method of garbage disposal ...... 46 Figure 11: Reasons for school absence...... 52 Figure 12: Working children’s main economic activities by sex...... 54 Figure 13: Working children's other main economic...... 55 Figure 14: Amount paid/earned per day by sex...... 56 Figure 15: Household chores by sex...... 57 Figure 16: The frequency of help...... 58 Figure 17: Children’s feelings about work ...... 60 Figure 18: Children feelings about school...... 61 Figure 19: The children's other feelings in the context of work ...... 61 Figure 20: Type of material in the outer wall ...... 62 Figure 21: Type of dwelling ...... 63 Figure 22: Type of tenancy...... 63 Figure 23: Lighting in dwelling ...... 64 Figure 24: Toilet in dwelling ...... 64 Figure 25: Water in dwelling ...... 65 Figure 26: Number of persons living in a household...... 65 Figure 27: Number of rooms in the dwelling...... 66 Figure 28: The presence of certain consumption items in the dwelling ...... 66 Figure 29: Ethnic breakdown of parents or guardians ...... 67 Figure 30: Marital status of the custodians ...... 68 Figure 31: The frequency of occurrence of custodians in the home ...... 68 Figure 32: Parent/guardian live in household ...... 69 Figure 33: Parent/guardian's reasons for not living in the household ...... 69 Figure 34: The age of the parent/guardians ...... 70 Figure 35: Custodians’ place of birth...... 70 Figure 36: The village where parent/guardian lived one year ago...... 71 Figure 37: The reasons for parent/guardian moving one year ago ...... 71 Figure 38: The region in which the parent/guardian lived five years ago ...... 72 Figure 39: The reasons for parent/guardian moving five years ago ...... 72 Figure 40: Type of job activity of the custodian...... 73 Figure 41: The job position of the custodian...... 74 Figure 42: The number of hours custodians worked ...... 74 Figure 43: Custodians' urgent need...... 75 Figure 44: Custodians' job preference...... 75 Figure 45: Custodians' preference in spending credit...... 76 Figure 46: Custodians' previous self-employed work...... 76 Figure 47: Age of children in households with at least one child labourer ...... 77 Figure 48: Custodians by the percentage of children in their care ...... 77 Figure 49: School attendance of children in the households of working children...... 78 Figure 50: Custodians’ reasons for children not attending school...... 78 Figure 51: Custodians’ report on work related illnesses/injuries...... 79 Figure 52: Custodians expectations of child labourers...... 80 Figure 53: Custodians thoughts about school...... 80 Figure 54: Help to the homes of the working child as reported by the custodians ...... 81 Figure 55: The age profile of the employers...... 82
x Figure 56: The highest completed employers' school grade...... 83 Figure 57: Hours worked by employers...... 83
ANNEXES Annex 1: Selected socio-economic indicators for Guyana ...... 99 Annex 2: Questionnaire for children and adolescents ...... 101 Annex 3: Questionnaire for heads of h/hold ...... 109 Annex 4: Questionnaire for employers ...... 121 Annex 5: Questionnaire for school principals ...... 125 Annex 6: Questionnaire for health personnel ...... 132 Annex 7: Questionnaire for community leaders ...... 139 Annex 8: Observation guide – workplace...... 145 Annex 9: Businesses in Parika and its environs...... 1489
LIST OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS CARICOM - Caribbean Community FFP - Food for the Poor GNDS - Guyana National Development Strategy GSLC - Guyana Survey on Living Conditions HIES - Household Income and Expenditure Survey ILO - International Labour Organization IPEC - International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour MICS - Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey NIS - National Insurance Scheme PNC - People’s National Congress PPP - People’s Progressive Party SIMAP - Social Impact Amelioration Project UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
xi
xii
Executive Summary
Parika and its environs have been shown to have a problem with child labour (Danns, 2002). The identified child labourers amounted to 133 children and were involved mainly in itinerant vending. Associated with these children are other siblings who are perfect candidates to follow along the same path of exploitation and retarded social growth.
The ILO Convention No. 182, on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, highlights four categories of child labour, namely:
b. All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
c. The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
c. The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs;
d. Work, which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
In Parika and its environs, the form of child labour observed involved work which satisfied condition (d), that is, hazards to the health, safety and morals of the children.
The survey found that this type of activity by the children was premised on their efforts to survive amidst harsh economic conditions. Their parents and guardians are trapped in a poverty cycle of low wages which are too meagre to meet the daily needs of the children. As such, many of the children dropped out of school in order to fend for themselves and their family. Coupled with this scenario is the situation whereby the parents are questioning the quality of education provided by the schools. Many custodians of these children felt that it was better for the children to be out of school than in school. There were reports from custodians of students in the surrounding areas of Parika of the teachers hardly showing up for classes.
Some children worked long hours in the sun and rain. They were paid very little money and were exposed to physical abuse. At a very young age they became street wise and were the cadres for enrolment to the world of gangsterism and crime. They are silently crying for help. A few non-government organizations have heard their pleas but not enough is being done. Only 6% of the working children have received help from such organizations which was by way of meals once per month.
1
The Parika market, main road and wharf, Zeeburg and Zeelugt seawalls, and the outlying farms were the major areas which had the greatest incidence of child labour. As a rapidly growing community, these are areas with the most economic activities. The farms in Parika, Ruby and Naamryck back dams provided produce for the daily Parika market and areas as far away as Georgetown, the capital of Guyana (see map on page 6).
The Parika market and wharf also caters for produce from the Essequibo mainland and islands. It also serves as a transshipment point whereby agricultural produce is sent by road to Georgetown and elsewhere in Guyana.
Goods in the form of legal imports and contraband from Venezuela also circulate in the area. People from outside Parika usually flock there on the Thursday and Sunday market days to make purchases which are said to be relatively cheap compared to prices elsewhere.
The growing importance of Parika for commercial activities has led to the establishment of branches of three commercial banks. In addition, the regional administration of the area has constructed a new marketing site in a bid to move the large number of roadside vendors off the main road.
This report provides information on the status of the working children in Parika and its environs. Based on ILO Convention No. 182, an operational definition of the worst form of child labour was used to identify the child labourers. Working children, who satisfied the specified conditions, were interviewed and their collective profile described in the report.
The children worked mainly to meet their material needs since their custodians were not providing enough towards the households’ demands for food, shelter and clothing. As such, many of the children said going to school was too expensive and thus they opted to work.
The main consequence of such activities was the loss of an adequate educational foundation for the children in order that they could meet the demands of an ever changing world. If an intervention to their circumstances is not made, then they would most likely continue to work long hours in the sun and rain and be subjected to physical, sexual and verbal abuses.
The working children perceived their participation in the world of work to have yielded greater material comforts since they are able to add to the household pool of wealth, however their overall poverty status would not have changed significantly. As such the cycle of poverty in which their households are currently trapped could only change if the stagnation and retardation in their social and academic status is reversed. The report also provides details on the children’s households and the general circumstances of the custodians.
2
The findings of the survey exposes the harsh realities of life for child labourers and it would hopefully act as a springboard for remedial work to rehabilitate the affected children. However, one has to be cautious with such rehabilitation since as far as possible such actions must take into consideration the state of mind of the children and their custodians.
Recommendations are given towards arresting the growth in the worst forms of child labour in Parika and its environs. Of specific importance is the need to provide some interim relief to the households while the working children are channelled towards social and academic activities geared for their development.
The custodians and their charges must be shown the long term benefits of education and training and be encouraged to develop along those lines. Role models in their midst must be vocal in advising these children and their custodians to make the necessary sacrifices in order that their standard of living can rise by way of more productive work which can come from solid educational development. The ranks of the child labourers can only diminish if the sales pitch to these individuals is successful.
It is hoped that the findings and recommendations for Parika and its environs can result in the development of programmes aimed at curbing child labour in that area. Such programmes must be of a long term nature. Shortly after, the focus can shift to other areas of Guyana with the eventual evolution of a national policy on child labour.
3
CHAPTER 1 Introduction
1.1 Research Background
The Cooperative Republic of Guyana has a land mass of approximately 215, 000 square km (83,000 sq miles) that comprises of 196,850 sq. km. of land resources and 18,120 sq. km. of natural water ways. It is a tropical country situated on the northern coast of South America and is bordered by Venezuela on the west, Suriname on the east, Brazil on the south and the Atlantic Ocean on the north. Guyana is about the size of Great Britain. It is the only English speaking country in South America. The name Guyana is an Amerindian word meaning “land of many waters”.
The majority of the population is classified as rural (69% of the households). The interior regions of the country are sparsely populated with 7% of the total number of the households. Ninety percent of the population live on the narrow coastal plain, either in Georgetown, the capital, or in villages along the main road running from Charity in the west to Corriverton on the Suriname border (see map of Guyana on page 6). All of the urban centres are located on the coast.
The current population of Guyana (which excludes persons in institutions like the prisons) is around 742,041 according to preliminary data from the 2002 population and housing census. From 1960 to now, the population has grown by 32%; however, the annual growth rate has slowed over recent years. Contributing factors are the declining birth rate and losses due to net-international migration. The population density is about 3.4 persons per sq. km. The median age of the population increased from 18.6 years in 1980 to 21.7 years in 1991. This implies a changing age structure whereby the population is becoming more matured.
Guyana has people from various ethnic backgrounds. Based on information from the 1991 census, East Indians (persons whose foreparents were from India) totalled 48.3% while African (persons whose foreparents originated from Africa) were 32.7% of the national population. The indigenous Amerindian population amounted to 6.3%, the Chinese 0.2% and persons of Mixed ethnicity 12.2%. (The most recent census data, 2002, was not available at the time of writing of this report).
About 2.5 percent of the country is cultivated and the main crops are sugar and rice. Agriculture and mining are the country’s most important economic activities with sugar, rice, bauxite and gold contributing to about 75% of exports. Other important exports are fish, shrimp and timber. The manufacturing sector is underdeveloped with some amount of bauxite processing, beverage, building materials and clothing production along with food processing. The 1970’s saw positive economic growth in the economy which went into decline and stagnation in the 1980’s. This resulted in the country being deemed one of the poorest in the western hemisphere. The late 1980’s saw the implementation of
5 harsh economic policies which were aimed at reversing the economic downturn and attracting investment capital into the country. The exchange rate plummeted from G$4.40 to the US dollar in 1986 to G$122 in 1991. It is currently about G$200 to the US dollar as at December 2004. Many Guyanese households were impoverished and the exodus to greener pastures abroad intensified. This scenario was played out under the administration of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the African supported party which was in power for most of the post-colonial era. The year 1992 saw a change of administration with the Indian-backed Marxist People’s Progressive Party (PPP) forming the Government. Periodic political strife between these two major parties has over the years negatively affected the economic stability of Guyana, the first part of the new millennium is no exception. A main grouse of the opposition PNC with the current administration is its claim of marginalization of the African segment of the population while the current administration laments the non-cooperation of the opposition and its illegality during most of its tenure while in government.
Guyana is West Indian in culture since its history and development has been closely intertwined with that of the English-speaking Caribbean islands. In fact, the headquarters of CARICOM1, the Caribbean’s political trading bloc, is located in the capital, Georgetown. The Caribbean cricket team, a major symbol of Caribbean unity and cooperation, has always had maximum Guyanese participation. In addition, Guyana is a signatory to the Charter which gives life to the Caribbean Court of Justice which would be the final Court of Appeal for most of the English-speaking countries in the Caribbean.
The findings of the Guyana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) of 2000 revealed that 98% of primary school age children attended school in both the rural and urban parts of Guyana. Further, 97% of children entering the lowest grade of the primary school eventually reached the highest grade. However, in the absence of more recent studies there are worrying signs of a growing number of children participating in child labour activities and truancy at the expense of their educational development, especially in the non-urban centres of the country as highlighted by the Danns report2.
By law, children are required to attend school up to age 15 and above that age they can legally participate in some labour force activities which do not jeopardise their health, safety or morals.
1 Caricom means “Caribbean Community” 2 Danns, G. 2003. “Guyana The Situation of Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour: A Rapid Assessment”. Port of Spain, International Labour Office.
6
7 1.2 Justification
Guyana has ratified ILO Convention No. 182 which states in its very first article that “Each Member which ratifies this Convention shall take immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency”. Article 6 of the Convention mandates the signatories to the Convention to design and implement programmes of action to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. Guyana’s participation in efforts to eradicate child labourers was highlighted by way of the Danns’ Rapid Assessment Study.
This study focused on 100 working children located in eight communities in Guyana. Information on the child labour situation in these communities came from direct observation of the children, community leaders and government officials. Parika was one of eight communities investigated in the Danns research.
The others were: ? Charity ? Georgetown ? St. Cutbert’s Mission ? Coverriverton ? Black Bush Polder ? Bartica ? Linden
The National Committee on Child Labour and the ILO agreed to execute a baseline survey on child labour in Parika and its environs. The purpose of the survey was to provide baseline data for an intervention programme in the selected area. In addition, the exercise aimed at providing the executing agency, the Ministry of Labour, with useful information and experience on implementing intervention programmes for child labourers, in its worst forms.
The rationale for selecting Parika and its environs for the baseline study hinged on the following:
? its Location as an area of heavy commercial traffic; ? its Accessibility from Georgetown; ? its Mixture of ethnic groups; and ? its Prominence as a fast developing community.
Parika3 is located on the East Bank of the Essequibo River. It had a population of 2913 persons as of the 1991 Census. Of that total 65% were East Indians and 30% Africans and the remaining percentage comprised persons of mixed ethnicity.
3 Check above map for more details on Parika’s location.
8 Having agreed on Parika and its environs as the area of execution of the survey, a quick count was made of the working children. The results are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: The quick count of child labourers in Parika and environs
SEX AGE
WORK ANTS
T
IS
CULTURE ER NDING
MALE FEMALE 5-9 10-14 15-17 UNKNOWN VE FREIGHT HANDLERS SHOPASS AGRI FISHING OTH TOTAL 61 4 6 18 35 6 21 7 3 13 10 11
Most of the children were involved in vending. Agricultural work and fishing respectively, were next in importance.
There were some concerns about the number of children seen working in Parika and its environs. It was felt that the number may not justify the execution of the baseline survey in that area. This led to a quick count of the working children in the Stabroek market and its environs, on the 7th May 2004. Twenty seven (27) child labourers were observed working in the market and its environs (Table 2).
Table 2: Working children in the Stabroek market and environs
SEX AGE
WORK ANTS
T
IS
CULTURE ER VENDING FREIGHT HANDLERS SHOPASS AGRI MALE FEMALE 5-9 10-14 15-17 UNKNOWN FISHING OTH TOTAL 15 12 1 11 14 0 17 3 6 0 0 1
1.3 Organization of the report
Chapter One, the Introduction, highlights the background and justification of the research, and the organization of the report, whereas Chapter Two deals with the situation of children and child labour in Guyana.
Chapter Three focuses on the methodology of the research. The general and specific research goals are identified along with the area of research and the population of the study. The stages of the research and the field work activities highlight the general
9 approach used in developing the instruments and the method of data collecting. This Chapter also records the data processing and analysis strategies undertaken to generate the research report.
The focus of Chapter Four is on a description of Parika and its environs. The data utilized here is based on recent censuses and the findings of the survey.
Chapter Five reports on the data collected from the survey with special emphasis placed on the characteristics of child labour and the children’s households. The consequences of child labour on the education, health and future income of the children were also of much importance. Other issues reported in this chapter surround the attitudes and expectations of the children and parents on child labour; characteristics of the employers of child labour; and the characteristics, perceptions and commitment of key actors regarding child labour in Parika and its environs.
The conclusions of the report are captured in Chapter Six. This is based primarily on the data collected in the survey and it gives a concise summary of the findings of the survey.
Recommendations and future courses of action are covered in Chapter Seven.
10 CHAPTER 2 Child Labour in Guyana
2.1 Introduction
In this section the focus is on what other writers and researchers have discovered about the major issues and variables pertaining to child labourers. The findings of work done in India and Africa were examined in order to throw light on the situation in Guyana.
2.2 Child labour
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) (1997:1), “Child labour is a vast complex and multifaceted phenomenon … but its extent largely remains unknown to any degree of precision.”
Very little research has been done on the phenomenon of child labour in Guyana. The 2001 Guyana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey4 (MICS), though not primarily focused on child labour research, provided information on child labour in Guyana. The child labour module of the research captured information on children 5 to 14 years old as shown in the table below. Table 3: Percentage of working children 5–14 years, Guyana 2001 DEPARTURE Family FROM Domestic work Work 4 or Currentl SCHOOL Paid Unpaid <4 more (farm or y No. of hours/da hours/da busines childre Work Work y y s) working n Male 2.5 13.3 70.8 0.6 17.83 29.2 82755 Female 1.6 11.9 72.8 1.2 14.08 24.8 82524
Interior 2.7 8.5 84.8 1.1 39.42 44.8 17433
Coast (urban) 1.5 12.8 72.5 0.9 10.94 22.0 46257 Coast (rural) 2.2 13.2 69.2 0.9 14.22 26.2 101589
Urban 1.5 12.8 72.5 0.9 10.94 22.0 46257 Rural 2.2 12.5 71.5 0.9 17.91 28.9 119022
5-9 years 1.2 11.1 62.4 0.3 11.84 21.4 89462 10-14 years 2.9 14.4 82.9 1.7 20.81 33.6 75817 Total 2.0 12.6 71.8 0.9 15.96 27.0 165279
4 Bureau of Statistics (2001): Guyana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey p 82.
11 The MICS provided an estimate of 27% for the total currently working population of children between the ages of 5 to 14 years in Guyana for the year 2000. For the MICS’s, the currently working children were those who did:
1. any paid or unpaid work for a non-household member or 2. who did 4 or more hours of housekeeping chores per day or 3. who did other family work
The focus of the MICS, as it pertained to child labour, was to measure the extent to which children who should be in school were involved in work. The child labour survey in Parika and its environs, however, focused on the extent to which children were involved in the worst forms of child labour activities and not work per se. In addition, the age limit was over 14 to below 18 years for children in the child labour survey.
Most of the working children of the MICS report were involved in domestic work (72.7%). Only 2% of the children were paid while 12.65% were not paid.
The child labour situation in Guyana is similar to that of many countries. For example, an ILO study on this issue conducted in Africa, suggested that the bulk of children who are economically active are found in agriculture and commerce. Resultantly, children are exposed to dangerous work in the form of heavy work loads, inappropriate use of agrochemicals and cutting tools, as well as other physical hazards. The study, “A Situational Analysis in Africa”, was conducted using the case study approach in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The Danns’ report found that the main causes of child labour in the communities studied in Guyana were: 1. Poverty and the economic situation of households 2. Peer pressure 3. Broken homes 4. Parents not being able to control their children 5. Single parenting 6. Uneducated parents 7. The culture of the communities 8. Children being kept at home to take care of siblings 9. Fathers not supporting their children 10. Children not being able to cope with academic work at school
These causes are reflective of the situation elsewhere in the country.
12 2.3 Poverty and the economic situation of households
The 1999 Guyana Survey on Living Conditions 5 (GSLC) showed a reduction in absolute poverty in Guyana when compared with the findings of the 92/93 HIES 6. In 1999, 36.3% of the Guyanese population was in absolute poverty as against 43.2% in 1992/93. The GSLC defined absolute poverty as a level of consumption of US$1.40 per day below which an individual is deemed to be in absolute poverty.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at factor cost grew from 1992 up to 1997 but declined in 1998, 2000 and 2003. The constant political turmoil and other governance issues have created havoc on the economic development of Guyana. So at this point in time it is not expected that there would be significant changes in the number of persons living under absolute poverty when compared with the findings of the GSLC in 1999.
A stagnant economy means that the outlook for greater momentum towards social and material growth for many Guyanese is somewhat bleak. The growing poverty is manifested via child labourers on the streets of the country’s economic zones and deserves very urgent attention before it gets unmanageable.
A major component towards poverty alleviation has been remittances from abroad. Many Guyanese receive periodic cash and material inflows from relatives and friends who are living abroad. Such inflows allow them to meet their monthly bills and live at a higher standard than they normally could.
Non-government organizations (NGO’s) like religious bodies and charitable groups contribute significantly towards poverty alleviation. Food for the Poor (FFP) is one such charitable organization which has made tremendous impact on helping the disadvantaged in Guyana by way of their regular distribution of foodstuff, clothing and other material goods to the poor. This organization raises funds and provides assistance to the poor through the churches and charitable organizations already operating in areas of need. The challenge to organizations like FFP is to ensure that those in dire need of help receive such help and that the resources are not channelled to the wrong individuals in the distribution process.
Formal assistance to the poor households is provided by the World Bank-financed Social Impact Amelioration Project (SIMAP). The objective of SIMAP is to finance small- scale, locally-sponsored projects that serve the priority needs of the most vulnerable groups. The projects are generally initiated by community groups or by the local or regional authorities and involve the construction of infrastructure works such as roads, bridges and nutrition supplement programmes. The SIMAP initiative is a good means towards meeting the demands of people living in poverty within communities. But like assistance from FFP, the challenge is to get the resources to those really in need. For
5 Guyana: Report of the 1999 Living Conditions Survey (GLSC) produced by the Department of International Development in collaboration with the Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 6 HIES- Household Income and Expenditure Survey was executed in 1992/93 by the Bureau of Statistics
13 SIMAP there is the added perception of political interference in the selection of projects and areas for intervention. Further, some communities lack the leadership to initiate creative measures to deal with some local issues.
Social welfare provided by the state is another safety net to help the poor in Guyana. Those persons who the state deem are in need of help would normally receive about US$7.50 (or G$1,500) per month byway of the post office. This amount does not meet the requirements needed to take the person out of absolute poverty but it does provide some assistance bearing in mind the current state of the Guyanese economy.
The formal sector of the economy provides assistance to workers who are (or were) attached to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). Such individuals may receive medical or retirement benefits based on their previous contributions to the scheme which is administered by the state and is compulsory for all workers. Persons outside of this formal structure do not benefit from the NIS.
2.4 Education in Guyana
In 1876 the colonial government of British Guyana introduced compulsory education which was ratified by the Government of independent Guyana in 1976. Education was made free from nursery to university as a result of the socialist ideology of the administration in government. Education is compulsory for children five years nine months to fifteen years7. Currently a cost recovery programme has been introduced at the University of Guyana whereby fees are charged. However students, who cannot pay, are given government student loans.
2.4.1 The structure and delivery of education
The local education system includes (non-compulsory) pre-school, six years of primary school, four to seven years of secondary school and between two and four years of higher academic or practical education. Schooling is mandatory up to age fifteen years (State paper on Education Policy/Ministry of Education, 1990). This means that the average student is required to complete the full primary course plus three years of secondary education. The statutory age for entering school is five years nine months and students are usually expected to remain in the school system until age sixteen but for many the reality is far from this expectation. Individuals who may have left the school system with low educational attainment scores or no qualifications have opportunities to participate in a limited number of education courses offered at the University of Guyana, Institute of Distance and Continuing Education or the Adult Education Association, as well as some programmes ran by NGOs and private entities. Generally, the education system has four basic levels: nursery, primary, secondary and post secondary.
The National Development Strategy (2000:201), developed by the Government of Guyana in collaboration with civil society stakeholders, asserts that “there is a literacy
7 Ministry of Education Strategic Plan 2003-2007, p6
14 problem in Guyana….” and estimated a 21 percent rate of absolute literacy among the national population. The Guyana National Development Strategy Document 2002 (GNDS) also estimates the overall rate of functional literacy as being a little above 50 percent. In general, the GNDS posits that the state of affairs with regards to the current literacy level is due in part to weaknesses in the education system and in part to the absence of a culture of literacy in many home environments. It also concludes that many students leave the education system certified but with low levels of literacy and thus have little or no opportunity of developing into functionally literate citizens. Worthy of mention too is the state’s acknowledgement that a growing number of students, especially boys in the secondary department of the primary education programme and the ‘pilot’ secondary schools (formerly Community High Schools), are dropping out before Grade 9 and consequently fail to achieve a basic level of education.
During the period of the 1960s, Guyana’s educational system was considered one of the best in the Caribbean. Today, it is among the weakest (GNDS). This decline can be attributed to a number of social and economic factors which include but are not limited to:
? Infrastructure development ? Culture ? Economic performance of the state ? The national political agenda ? Partisan behaviour among the citizenry including social cleavage ? The public sector wage structure ? The near absence of a performance incentive regime for businesses
Suffice to say that these factors have led to a most unsatisfactory and unacceptable state of affairs. “Learning rate in schools are extremely low; a large proportion of the teaching force is unqualified and untrained, absenteeism on the part of both teachers and students is rife, and text-books and other instructional materials are often unavailable”. Thus, “Guyana’s success in attaining universal access to primary schools in the early 1970s has been eroded, and has been replaced by rising repetition and drop-out rates. Moreover, there are alarmingly high levels of functional illiteracy among school leavers and the adult population” (GNDS, 2002:197).
The current administration has taken steps to reverse the decline in educational standards and this is reflected in the annual outlay to the education sector as can be seen from the tables below.
15 Table 4: Education as a percentage of the national budget8 G$000 Year National Budget Education Budget Ed. as a % of the Nat. Bud. 1990 11,907,193 525,506 4.4 1991 12,793,000 832,610 7.1 1992 29,826,332 1,700,400 6.0 1993 30,194,677 2,225,146 7.3 1994 40,185,824 2,857,663 7.1 1995 40,077,495 3,267,287 8.1 1996 45,442,508 4,591,873 10.1 1997 56,958,277 4,939,375 8.6 1998 51,422,353 5,748,484 11.1 1999 54,568,995 6,828,412 12.5 2000 65,575,867 9,527,210 14.5
Table 5: Annual percentage changes in allocations to education US$ Education Rate Of Year Budget In $US % Of Change Budget Exchange
1990 525,505 39.5 13,303.79 - 1991 832,610 111.8 7,447.39 -44 1992 1,700,400 125.0 13,603.20 +83 1993 2,225,146 130.2 17,070.21 +26 1994 2,857,287 138.2 20,667.73 +21 1995 3,267,287 141.9 23,025.27 +11 1996 4,591,873 140.2 32,752.30 +42 1997 4,939,375 143.6 34,396.76 +5 1998 5,748,484 150.2 38,272.19 +11 1999 6,828,412 176.2 38,753.75 +1 2000 9,527,210 184.7 51,528.07 +33%
However a constant bugbear is the emoluments paid to teachers. This is seen as a major disincentive to development in the educational sector. This point is emphasized by the following quote (Ministry of Education Strategic Plan 2003-2007, p48):
8 Ministry of Education Strategic Plan 2003-2007, tables 7 and 8, pp 46, 47
16 “In spite of substantial increases in recent years, teacher salaries continue to be a disincentive to encouraging people to enter and/or remain in the profession. The Guyana Government cannot compete with the salaries offered by some countries, but in addition to possible monetary increases, it is considering non-salary incentives such as land and loans for housing. The issue of teacher compensation however remains a challenge, as the level of teacher salaries cannot be totally divorced from the level of salaries in the rest of the public sector”.
Since 1992 a lot of funds have been spent on the rehabilitation of school buildings and teacher training. As of 1999-2000 there were 871 institutions 9 dedicated to the delivery of education in Guyana (Table 6).
Table 6: Summary of education system Type of Institutions Students Teachers S:T Institution Discrete Class Total Male Fe male Total Male Fe male Total Ratio Nursery 320 87 407 18768 18187 36955 22 2196 2218 17 Primary 427 1 428 54105 51695 105800 561 3390 3951 27 Primary Tops 0 305 305 7124 5529 12653 267 407 674 19 Community High 33 0 33 7810 5977 13787 215 510 725 19 General High 70 0 70 16000 20055 36055 715 1257 1972 18 Special Education 6 1 7 420 197 617 14 50 64 10 Tech/Vocational 6 15 21 2585 2077 4662 144 71 215 22 Teacher Training 1 0 1 246 1358 1604 121 176 297 5 University 1 0 1 2455 5041 7496 256 115 371 20 Private Schools 7 0 7 831 861 1692 27 93 120 14 Total 871 409 1280 110344 110977 221321 2342 8265 10607 21
The national student to teacher ratio was 21. However there was a marked disparity in the teacher to student ratio across different regions of the country. The interior schools had a much larger ratio than that of the coastal schools since there is usually a smaller number of teachers who are prepared to work in the remote parts of Guyana.
The inadequate incentives to teachers in the government controlled education system leads to trained teachers constantly migrating abroad or moving to the privately owned schools. The result has been a high student to teacher ratio in the public schools as seen in Table 7 below.
9 The Ministry of Education Website. http://www.sdnp.org.gy/minedu/research/stats/stats.htm (29 Nov. 2004)
17 Table 7: Schools, students and teachers Type of No of No of Total Trained Student: Student: Trained School Schools Students Teachers Teachers Teacher Teacher
Nursery 320 36955 2218 830 17 45 Primary 423 105800 3951 1995 27 53 Primary Tops 304 12653 674 342 19 37 Community High 33 13787 725 379 19 36 General Secondary 70 36055 1972 1137 18 32 Total 1150 205250 9540 4683 21 -
2.5 The health situation in Guyana
The 1996 UNDP Human Development Report on Guyana estimates the life expectancy of Guyanese to be 64 years with projected estimates of 64 years and 63 years for women and men respectively. A recent estimate of the crude birth rate, which represents births in a given year for every 1000 persons, is 23.6 for 2001. The crude death rate, deaths in a given year per 1000 people, is placed at about 6.610.
Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) and the number of AIDS cases have increased over the years. The former was 25.5% in 1997 but moved to 54% in 2000. The total number of reported AIDS cases was 149 in 1997 but increased to 1,188 in 200011. The spread of AIDS is a growing health problem in Guyana. There are current programmes and efforts to educate the population and curb the spread of this virus.
According to the UNDP report:
“Fertility rates have declined over the past three decades; from a high of 6.1 in 1960, it is presently estimated at 2.6 children per woman of child-bearing age. Although the prime child bearing age is still the 20-24 age group, early (teenage) pregnancies have been recording the fastest increases in recent times”.
The report goes on to list the ten leading causes of death for the population as:
? cerebro-vascular disease; ? ischaemic heart disease; ? diseases of pulmonary circulation and other types of heart diseases; ? diseases of the digestive system; ? endocrine and metabolic diseases including immunity disorders; ? other diseases of the respiratory system; ? hypertensive disease; ? conditions originating in the perinatal period;
10 Source: Bureau of Statistics (annex 1) 11 Op cit
18 ? intestinal infectious diseases; ? accidents.
Guyana has 295 institutions which deliver health care (Table 8). The Georgetown public hospital is the premier public entity that caters to all Guyanese. Its services are free of cost to the citizens of Guyana. For administrative purposes the country is divided into ten regions. Region 4 is where the capital of Guyana, Georgetown, is located.
Table 8: Total health institutions by region for the year 2000
Regions Items 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Health posts 14 18 5 12 0 6 20 15 40 11 141 Health centres 3 11 20 27 16 19 3 4 5 11 119 District hospitals 4 1 3 0 2 3 2 1 2 2 20 Regional hospitals 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 Specialist hospitals 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Private hospitals 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 National hospitals 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Company hospitals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rehabilitation centres 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Geriatric hospitals 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Total 21 31 29 49 18 30 25 20 47 25 295
Total hospital beds 50* 112 187 886* 40 611 63 20 47 145 1225 * Number of beds missing for 1 hospital Source: Ministry of Health
2.6 The Family and its basic features
The family, in all its variety of forms, is the pivotal institution in any society. The family code of the Caribbean asserts: “the family …… is the elementary cell of society and as such contributes to its development and plays an important role in the upbringing of new generations … but the family may be equally pivotal in a negative way. Instead of being the primary source of emotional and material support, families of all types, across social strata and race, may be places where power, whether based on income, gender, age and or disability, is misused (Robert Hagedorn, 1990).
Both as a group and institution, the family is pivotal for the good or ill of the society because it shapes individuals who in turn shape the society. Just as the family is impacted on by the constraints within the macroeconomic, social and cultural environment, so it in turn impacts on its own environment, most visibly in the skills, attitudes and behaviour of people, regardless of where they function within the labour force.
19 Fernival (1969) tells us that the family is never static. Neither in Guyana nor elsewhere is the family static. Family forms are shaped by the social environment, for example, the family experiences change due to changes in the macroeconomic and household economies. Moreover, Fernival tells us, there are differences in the social organization and value systems. Further the latter characteristics which have accounted for many of the changes we have observed are mostly pronounced in plural societies such as Guyana, in which several ethnic groups originally from different parts of the world, with varying traditions and distinct cultural practices, inhabit one nation state. Therefore, there is no one typical Guyanese family but different family structures shaped largely by differences in ancestral patterns of life and local histories.
2.6.1 Structure of the family in Guyana
According to a survey conducted by the National Development Strategy Secretariat in 2000 and which was designed to gather valuable empirical data on the Guyanese family, the following features were observed:
“Family structures in Guyana are the nuclear family both in terms of its legal and common law forms; the single parent, female headed household, sometimes with three generations headed by a grandmother; the extended family of different types, its members sometimes living in the same households; child-headed households and the household consisting of one individual often an elderly or old person, more frequently a woman”.
The number of female-headed households increased in 1991 relative to the number in 1980, according to the decennial census figures. This type of family structure poses much concern since it is felt that the level of poverty and the incidence of child labour is on the increase among such households.
2.6.2 Key constraints to the family
The Government’s National Development Strategy paper (2002) on the alleviation of poverty in Guyana, asserts that a combination of variables have impacted negatively on the status and structure in Guyana beginning in the 1980s. Two specific constraints identified in this document are:
1. At the economic level, macroeconomic decline in the 1980s impoverished many Guyanese families, while the introduction of IMF/World Bank Structural Adjustment Programmes reduced employment in the public sector, removed subsidies on basic items, introduced cost recovery for basic services and placed greater burdens on poor households, more particularly on women in such households.
2. At the social and cultural level, constraints on families include the critical shortage of housing, poor quality of and access to services (especially in rural and
20 squatting communities), the decline in the urban environment and more recently the social impact of new mining and logging projects in Amerindian communities.
2.6.3 Children and youth
The constraints faced by many families have impacted on the many Guyanese children and adolescents who are growing up in a context where there is still an unacceptably high incidence of poverty, inadequate expenditure on education and health, and a desperate shortage of housing. There are also inadequate recreational and sporting facilities which are shared by many communities.
Children and adolescents are also faced with the increasing burden of both unwaged and waged work. In addition, patterns of gender socialization in Guyanese families are working negatively against both boys and girls in the context of:
? diminished parental attention to both sexes with girls being more restricted and sexually abused and exploited, and are still trained in areas of interest, study and employment that are less valued and more poorly paid; and
? less careful nurture of boys who are more often harshly beaten and are dropping out of school in larger numbers than girls.
All of this have implications for the Guyanese society in areas ranging from violence, crime, employment and exploitation. Above all there are implications for the kind of Guyana that would emerge in the post millennium period.
2.7 The economics of child labour
According to Gootaerth and Kanbar (1995), the economics of child labour are known in general terms, the supply of working children is found primarily among poor families who are in need of supplementary income which is provided by their children’s labour. Further, they asserted that this phenomenon often arises out of the burden of expenditures required to attend school, as well as the loss of income to the family of children who are attending school, and that these generally combine to make education too costly for such families.
The publication, “Guyana: Report of the 1999 Living Conditions Survey”12 identified a number of poverty indicators which have been used to measure poverty in Guyana over the years. Some of these indicators are the Public Sector minimum wage (G$733 or US$3.70 per day), the income tax threshold (G$645 or US$3 per day), the World Bank’s benchmark of US$1 or G$200 per day critical poverty and US$2 or G$400 per day absolute poverty indices.
12 UNDP (1999): Guyana: Report of the 1999 Living Conditions Survey. pp 79, 80.
21 The survey in Parika and its environs revealed that of the 194 child labour custodians, 100 were working. Of those working, 12% were earning below G$500. Only 88% were definitely earning above the World Bank’s absolute poverty line (Table 9).
Table 9: The daily earnings of custodians by their sex
EARNINGS (G$) SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Count % Count % Count 500 and below 4 4 8 8 6 12 501 to 1000 22 20 17 17 19 37 1001 to 1500 15 14 2 2 8 16 1501 to 2000 8 7 3 3 5 10 2001 and higher 6 6 5 5 6 11 Not stated 10 9 5 5 7 14 Non-working custodians 35 33 60 61 48 94 Total 100 93 100 101 100 194
G.K. Danns (2002), noted that child labour in Guyana is a pervasive and ubiquitous, but a largely unrecognized phenomenon. Children of all ethnic groups are involved. It is a phenomenon that is driven by culture, parental neglect, family breakdown and economic necessity. Hence the problem of child labour in Guyana is multidimensional; and like in other societies, it enjoys considerable cultural support. Often as a practice it is viewed as “the socialization of children in preparation for adult role responsibilities”. At the same time, many observers associate poverty as its principal cause. Thus we may rely on either, or a combination of symbolic interactive and functional perspectives of the sociological method and theories to explain and address this phenomenon.
2.7.1 The costs and benefits of eliminating child labour
The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) study on “Investing in every child”13 sheds light on the economic costs and benefits of eliminating child labour. The initial costs towards eliminating child labour entail the expansion of educational supplies such as new schools, training and hiring new teachers and supplying additional educational materials. The focus here is to cater for compulsory education of children up to age 15 years in environs conducive to learning in the form of appropriate buildings, adequate class sizes and teaching/learning material.
The IPEC study envisaged income transfers to households in a bid to defray the cost of households taking children out of the workplace and into schools. Other costs associated with child labour elimination involve the execution of programmes aimed at the removal and rehabilitation of children involved in the worst forms of child labour. The costs are all associated primarily with the state and its aid donors. However there is the
13 International Labour Organization (2004): Investing in every child
22 opportunity cost which involves the value of goods and services the households have to give up in order that the children can stop working and focus entirely on their education. Hence there is the need for the agencies which are coordinating or executing the interventions to make sure that the parents and guardians of the working children are persuaded to allow their charges to fully participate in such interventions. These custodians of the children must be shown and be convinced of the benefits to be derived from the elimination of child labour in their communities.
Another important aspect of any proposed intervention is the establishment of transfer programmes as envisaged by IPEC. In poor countries like Guyana such programmes would go a long way towards easing the economic plight of households as regards meeting the costs associated with sending their children to school.
Obvious benefits to the communities and households would be the improved productivity of the households when the children are adequately educated. The children would be in a position to undertake more challenging and high paying jobs and hence boost the economic well being of their households. Being taken out of situations where they were involved in the worst forms of child labour, the children can look forward to better health and the community on the whole can benefit from lower medical expenditure and higher labour productivity.
What is crucial is the commitment of the state and communities to invest in the development of the children. Without that commitment the elimination of child labour is just an illusion.
23 24 CHAPTER 3 Methodology
3.1 General and specific goals
This study is a baseline survey of the worst forms of child labour activities in Parika and its environs. It would be the basis for further research and intervention work on child labour elsewhere in Guyana.
Its general goal is to generate high quality information on the magnitude of child labour activities in Parika and its environs. In addition, other information to be gleaned would include the characteristics of the child labourers, their families, schools and communities where these activities take place.
Its specific goals are to:
? identify the areas in Parika and its environs which have the highest incidence of child labour activities and estimate the magnitude of child labour in the sectors, along with the number of children at risk of becoming involved in these activities;
? build up a database of potential child labour beneficiaries for rehabilitation and monitoring;
? describe, analyze and interpret the characteristics, determinants and consequences of child labour;
? analyze the information and estimate the indicators associated with socio- demographic and economic data about the families, the schools and the communities, as well as about the attitudes and expectations associated to child labour in these activities;
? generate accurate information about the hazards, risks and potential diseases related to the worst forms of child labour;
? identify, with the gathered data, the potential of the educational and health systems to absorb new potential beneficiaries (e.g. number of schools, infrastructure and classrooms, teachers and students, health facilities, physicians etc); and
? organize secondary data about the general context (e.g. poverty, employment and demographic trends) in which the worst forms of child labour take place.
25 3.2 Population under study and research area
The population under study is the child labourers in Parika and its environs. It comprises all working children who met the conditions specified below in order to be classified as child labourers.
3.2.1 Operational Definition of Child Labourers
Children are generally involved in some form of work while growing up. However, in order to identify those involved in child labour in its worst forms, a working definition of child labour was adopted. The definition espoused below under conditions (a) to (d), is taken from Article 3 of the ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 199914. Thereafter, the definitions are qualified to reflect the situation in Parika and its environs.
In identifying the respondents, the focus was on individuals who were below 18 years of age and who were involved in work injurious to their health, social or academic development. The following conditions determined the status of child labourers in its worst forms:
a. All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
b. The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
c. The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs;
d. Work, which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
Most of the working children in Parika and its environs were considered to be involved in activities highlighted under condition (d) of Article 3 of the ILO Convention No. 182. This condition was broken down into two categories, namely:
1. work harmful to the health and safety of the children;
2. work harmful to the morals of the children.
14 International Labour Organisation (ILO). 2004. “C182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999”. http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C182 (12 Aug. 2004).
26 For the former category, the following conditions applied:
? A child who worked at least twice per month during the last school term, 19th April to the 2nd July 2004, was considered a child labourer in its worst forms if the activity was done under harmful physical and environmental conditions
? This was so regardless if the work was done outside of the normal school hours
For the latter category, the following conditions applied:
? A child who worked during schools hours, namely, from 9am to 3pm
? A child who worked at least two days per week, excluding Saturdays and Sundays
? A child who worked at least two weeks per month
? A child who worked during the last school term, 19th April to the 2nd July 2004
The conditions highlighted above apply to different scenarios. For example, if the child’s work involved the spraying of dangerous chemicals twice per month over the last school term, the child would have been considered a child labourer in its worst forms. The child would not have been considered a child labourer if it was done only once per month over the last school term. If the child, instead of spraying dangerous chemicals, vended only twice per month over the last school term, the child would not have been considered a child labourer in its worst forms. This is so since the condition highlighted above would not have been met, that is, the child did not “… work… at least two weeks per month”.
3.2.2 Limitations of the Study
The focus of the survey was on children involved in market production15. These children were producing goods and services intended for sale in the market. Excluded were children involved in non-market production such as:
? Production of primary products for own use. Such production included the growing or gathering of crops, fruits and vegetables; the production of eggs, milk
15 Hussmanns, R., Mehran, F., Verna V. “Surveys of economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment: An ILO manual on concepts and methods”. Geneva, International Labour Office, 1990. pp 16, 17
27 and food; hunting of animals and birds; catching fish, crabs and shellfish; the collection of thatching and weaving materials; and other activities. ? Processing of primary commodities for own consumption. This type of activity included the slaughtering of livestock; the weaving of baskets and mats; and the making of furniture among other activities. ? Production of fixed assets for own use. Included here is the construction of dwellings and farm buildings; the building of boats; and the clearing of land for cultivation.
3.2.3 Assumptions of the Study
It is assumed that the survey captured the main activities in which child labourers were involved. Further, it is assumed that activities of the worst forms were really witnessed.
Based on initial investigations in the area, there is a great degree of confidence that the survey was able to focus on child labourers in its worst forms as seen in Parika and its environs. Of course there is no denying the possibility of the exclusion of a few children who might have been involved in illegal activities such as prostitution and the selling of drugs. However, if such cases exist, it is felt that the numbers are miniscule.
3.2.4 Relevant Questions Addressed in the Study
This study would provide answers to the following main questions:
1. What areas of Parika and its environs have the highest incidence of child labour activities?
2. What is the number of children involved in these activities?
3. What is the number of children who are at risk of becoming involved in child labour activities?
4. What are the characteristics, determinants and consequences of child labour activities in Parika and its environs?
5. What are the indicators associated with socio-demographic and economic data about the families, the schools and the communities?
6. What are the indicators associated with attitudes and expectations of child labour?
7. What are the hazards, risks and potential diseases related to the worst forms of child labour?
28 8. What are the potentials of the educational and health systems to absorb new potential beneficiaries?
9. What is the general context in which the worst forms of child labour takes place?
3.3 Research stages and field work
The study is descriptive in nature whereby the emphasis is on providing answers to questions about the status of the working children in Parika and its environs. The answers were derived from responses to questionnaires administered by enumerators. The instruments for the study were developed by the Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the ILO. The questionnaires used in the Panama child labour study16 were modified to suit the situation in Parika and its environs.
3.3.1 The Pilot
The survey instruments were field tested in Vreed-en-hoop, West Bank of the Demerara River and at the Stabroek Market in Georgetown on the 25th and 27th May 2004, respectively. This gave the Bureau of Statistics the opportunity to make necessary adjustments to the wording and sequencing of the questions.
Similar questionnaires were used elsewhere in the region by the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) but the questionnaires had to be adjusted to suit the peculiarities of the Guyana scenario. For example, the setting in which the survey was executed had to reflect the areas of major economic activities where the working children were found. Such settings were:
1. Parika Market 2. Parika Main Road 3. Parika Wharf 4. Parika Back 5. Other: Specify …………..
The average time to complete a set of instruments for each working child was determined by the field test of the questionnaires. As such appropriate allocation for the enumeration of the area was determined. It was calculated that ten enumerators and one supervisor was adequate to cover Parika and its environs within the specified time frame of 23 days.
16 This study was done in 2003.
29 3.3.2 Enumerators’ training
The field staff was trained over the period 13th to 16th July 2004 (4 days). Much emphasis was placed on the following issues:
? Questionnaire design
? Identifying the respondents
? Gaining the respondents’ cooperation
? Conducting the interview
? Recording the data on the survey instruments
The opportunity was taken to examine the design of the questionnaires in more detail and make further adjustments. The collective experience of the field staff, who had many years of experience working on surveys, impacted positively on the further fine tuning of the survey instruments. Some effort was made to make the instruments relating to the children more “child friendly” as regards the manner in which some questions were framed.
The scope of the survey, as it relates to the area to be covered and the respondents to canvass, was clearly defined. A major challenge was determining the criteria to be used in identifying the working children since the survey had to be executed at a time when the children were on vacation. It was not appropriate to just observe the children at work and conclude that they were child labourers. Introductory questions had to be formulated in an initial approach aimed at sifting out those children who were just making an extra holiday dollar from the hard core child labourers. The detailed operational definition of children considered as child labourers for this survey was expanded above.
The child labourers in urban centres generally display different traits relative to those in rural areas. Based on the findings of the field staff while testing the instruments, it was observed that the child labourers and their custodians around the Stabroek market in Georgetown were very weary of persons asking them questions pertaining to their households. One possible reason was that they felt that the enumerators were welfare officers since the activities of such government officials are much more obvious in the urban centres. In addition, the vagaries of street life in the urban centres demanded a more mean and suspicious approach to life. Many of the urban child labourers lied about their circumstances and were very uncooperative. Bearing this experience in mind, much time was spent at the training in discussing the appropriate ways to approach and get the confidence of child labourers.
The outcome of the interview depended a lot on the cooperation of the respondent as well as a good questionnaire which provides for proper sequencing of questions in a logical
30 and orderly manner. The training sharpened the enumerators’ skills in conducting a proper interview. They were reminded to wear neat conservative clothing which is suitable for Parika and its environs. It was expected that they would blend into the local environment and not to stand out as outsiders. They had to also bear in mind the need to accurately and completely record responses.
The enumerators and their supervisors were taught the various concepts and definitions that appeared on the instruments. Each instrument was thoroughly discussed and all ambiguities pertaining to questions were ironed out. This naturally led to mock interviews which were held on the last day of the training. The role of respondents and enumerators were played by the participants with notes being taken of the strengths and weaknesses of interviewing techniques and the need to fine-tune a question here and there.
3.3.3 Publicizing the survey
A critical element in surveys is to have the trust of the respondents. As the central statistical office, the Bureau of Statistics has been able to gain the trust of the Guyanese respondents over the years. Experience in the execution of surveys in Guyana has taught us that some form of publicity is essential for the smooth execution of fieldwork especially given the recent spate of criminal activities that the country has experienced. Such publicity ensured that the enumerators are not placed at undue risk of being mistaken for criminals, especially in certain areas where the residents are very suspicious of outsiders and are prone to attack persons in the belief that they are bandits. As a further precaution the enumerators were advised to always have their identification card displayed in a very visible manner on their person.
Radio and television advertisements were run from the 13th July to 12th Aug 2004 prior to the commencement of the field work. The emphasis in the ads was on children and youth activity and not child labour survey per se, since it was felt that stressing “child labour” may send some employers and working children and custodians underground. Nevertheless there were some initial concerns that the publicity would have sent some people, associated with child labour activities, underground during the period of the survey, regardless of the language used in the ads. Based on information provided by community leaders and other informants in Parika and its environs, the perception evolved that the majority of the working children were seen and enumerated in the survey.
3.3.4 The field work
The survey was officially launched on the 21st July 2004 and was programmed to run for 23 days. The most important layer of supervision was at the field supervisor level. She was expected to allocate the areas to be covered by the enumerators and monitor their daily activities. On a daily basis she recorded the number of questionnaires filled in by
31 each enumerator and was always there to answer questions pertaining to problems with the instruments and general field operations. The supervisor was provided with vehicular support to move between the various areas of Parika and its environs in the course of her supervisory activities. At all times she was just a phone call away from the central office where the survey manager was stationed.
Both field supervisor and enumerators were issued with manuals which dealt with the concepts and definitions related to the questions on the different instruments. The same manual was used at the training sessions. The document reflected the observations from the field testing of the instruments along with the decisions taken at the training sessions. The field operations focused on locating the working children and their employers during the first week thereafter, in the second week, the emphasis was shitted towards finding the parents or guardians. The third week was put aside for interviews with the community leaders, health workers and school principals. Although divided into three separate phases some activities were ongoing and occurred whenever the respondents were available or found. For example, during the first phase, if the parent or guardian was available in the immediate vicinity of the child’s workplace then that parent or guardian was interviewed. Likewise, if a community leader, health worker or school principal was available in the immediate vicinity of the child’s workplace then he or she was interviewed. It was a very flexible arrangement whereby it was foreseen that there would be the need to search for some respondents and as such different time periods were set aside to carry out such searches.
The actual field work was not an 8 am to 4:30 pm exercise. It was executed at times when it was felt that the child labourers would be seen in action. Let us consider the Zeelugt and Zeeburg seawalls where many children were involved in the sorting of fish and shrimps on a daily basis. In order to witness those operations, the field staff had to be there as early as 4 am in the mornings because as soon as the sun rises most of the sorting activities would have been completed and the fish vendors would have commenced their daily ritual of selling fish. Not all of the children sold fish. So to arrive at the wharf during the daylight hours one would not get a true picture of the scale of the fishing activities. Another example was the observation of the night life activities in Parika and its environs. The field staff had to make nightly excursions to night spots where the possibility existed of seeing child labourers in action, especially on weekends.
The number of call backs was very minimal. This is understandable given the small scale of the survey. Most of the custodians were easily located and either provided the data immediately or not at all. The non-response by custodians and employers were also minimal. Identified community leaders were willing to cooperate with enumerators. Likewise government officials, who were responsible for education and health, were also very willing to cooperate with the enumerators.
32 3.4 Research variables, data gathering techniques and informants
3.4.1 Research variables
The variables which relate directly to the working children are:
? the economic characteristics of working children (i.e., participation, occupation, condition, work schedule, salary, modality, branch of activity, secondary activities, etc.); ? the characteristics related to health and safety on the job (e.g., lesions, care/insurance, etc.); ? the characteristics specific to the activity; ? the educational characteristics of working children (i.e., attendance, delays, repetition, educational achievement, related factors, etc.); ? the characteristics related to reproductive health (only for adolescents); ? the characteristics of non-economic activities; ? the use of free time; and ? the working children’s perceptions and expectations etc.
The variables which relate directly to the parents are:
? the characteristics of housing and the home (i.e., materials, durable goods, etc.); ? the socio-demographic characteristics of ALL the members of the household (i.e., sex, age, level of education, civil status, ethnicity, place of birth, migration, family composition and structure, etc.); ? the economic characteristics of the members of the household (e.g., participation, occupation, condition, work schedule, salary, branch of activity, secondary activities, etc.); ? the participation in community life; ? the parents’ opinions and expectations in relation to education, work, and perspectives for their children; and ? the possibility of participation in productive activities (i.e., interests, abilities, credit access, etc.).
The variables which relate directly to the employers are:
? the characteristics of the employers; ? the characteristics of the work place; and ? the perceptions on child labour and commitment towards its eradication etc.
The variables which relate directly to the schools are:
? the characteristics of the school (e.g., infrastructure, resources, and equipment); ? the characteristics of the teacher;
33 ? the characteristics of the student body (e.g., attendance, achievement, repetition, work, nutrition, health, etc.); ? the perceptions concerning child labourers; and ? the perceptions of work-study relationship etc
The variables which relate directly to the health of the working children are:
? the characteristics of the working children in the area; ? the health services in the area; ? the main risks associated with the children’s activities; ? the main illnesses and the treatments used by the working children and their families; and ? the perceptions about the relationship between child labour and health impacts, etc.
The variables which relate directly to the communities of the working children are:
? the characteristics of the community; ? the perception of child labour; ? the level of participation and empowerment in community action and the potential level of commitment in terms of monitoring child labour; ? the existence of special national programmes directed towards families and/or child labour; ? the existence of special programmes (Non-governmental organisations, church, others) directed toward families and/or working children; and ? the existence of local legislation for regulating child labour, etc.
The variables which relate directly to the work environment of the working children are:
? the work environment of the working children; ? the working children population according to sex and age; ? the risks working children are exposed to; ? the attitudes of the children at work; and ? the use of objects (e.g., raw materials) and means of production (e.g., tools, machinery and equipment, etc).
3.4.2 Data gathering techniques
In Parika and its environs the norm is for children to use their school vacation time to earn some extra cash and to assist in the family business. As such, there were more children working in Parika and its environs during the survey period. However, by applying the qualifications to the definitions, as explained above, the enumerators were able to identify the child labourers.
34 The process of identifying the respondents were further facilitated by persons’ perception of their legitimacy in hiring children since such children were on vacation and involving them in certain activities was not perceived as being criminal. So many persons were more open to interviews than they normally would be.
The enumerators had to approach the working children in order to determine their child labour status. After this was confirmed the child labour questionnaire was executed. If the parents or guardians, or employers were present and available, then they were also interviewed. If not, these individuals were interviewed at a time convenient to them.
After being identified as child labourers and interviewed, the children were then observed at work in their various activities.
The school principals interviewed were from schools which the child labourers attend or attended. In a similar manner, the health personnel interviewed were from health centres or medical facilities in the area in which the children resided. Community leaders were persons in the communities in which the children resided.
3.4.3 Informants
The study collected information on child labourers in its worst forms from the following respondents:
1. The working children 2. The parents or guardians of the working children 3. The principals of the schools which these working children attend (or attended) 4. The head of the health centres and other medical practioners who catered for these children in Parika and its environs 5. The employers of the working children 6. Community leaders in Parika who comprised of: ? Church/Religious leaders ? Administrators of the area (Regional Democratic Council Councillors) ? Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).
3.5 Data processing and analysis
3.5.1 Instrumentation
The data on the population of study, the child labourers, was collected by way of questionnaires administered by enumerators. The instruments were:
? the working child questionnaire ? the working children’s parent or guardian questionnaire ? the working children’s employer questionnaire
35 ? the community leader questionnaire ? the school principal questionnaire ? the health provider questionnaire
The enumerators recorded observations of the children at work on an observation guide.
3.5.2 Reliability and Validity of the Instrument
Conrad and Maul (1981), stated that reliability means consistency. If our observations of the world are reliable then there should be a high degree of consistency among our observations. The reliability of the questionnaires was checked by way of a pilot test of the instruments.
The validity of the questionnaire can be categorised into face and content validity. The pilot testing of the questionnaires helped to determine whether or not definitions made sense to the respondents and whether they can withstand criticism. The question of face validity was answered in the affirmative, that is, the questionnaires measured what they were designed to measure.
Content validity of the questionnaire asks the question: Does the content of the measure reflect the thing that is being measured? Whether or not a particular instrument has content validity is often a matter of judgement.
The questions on the questionnaires were scrutinized by the Statisticians of the Bureau of Statistics and the Technical Officer attached to the ILO. They were all satisfied with the questionnaires’ validity.
3.5.3 Analysis
The total number of questionnaires entered into the database amounted to 381. The breakdown of questionnaires is shown below:
Table 10: The number of respondents by different categories
No. Respondents Number 1 Children and adolescents 133 2 Heads of households 105 3 Health personnel 5 4 School principals 13 5 Employers 21 6 Community leaders 25 7 Observation guides 79 Total 381
36
One of the tasks of the supervisor was to carefully scrutinise and edit, if necessary, each of the 381 instruments submitted to her. On submission of the documents to the survey manager, further scrutiny of the instruments was done in the office by staff attached to the project. At that stage the questionnaires were also coded for data entry. Each child was given a unique number. In addition, codes were inserted for the villages in which the child labourers worked, type of activities of the children, and school attended, among others.
The data was entered into the computer via the Access 2000 software. The actual tables were generated with the aid of the SPSS and Excel software.
37
38 CHAPTER 4 Description of Parika and its environment
4.1 Parika’s population
Parika is located on the East Bank of the Essequibo River. The 2002 census data revealed that Parika had a population of 4106 persons which was a 41% increase of the population over that of 1991. This substantiates the claim of Parika being a fast growing community. The total number of children from 5 years up in Parika was 1249 (Table 11). The working children who resided in Parika numbered 63 and represented 5% of the school age population of children in Parika. However, the working children of Parika and its environs represented 11% of the children of school age in Parika. Owing to the time constraint involved in the study it was not possible to determine the school age population and other detailed information for Parika’s environs, that is, the surrounding villages where the working children lived.
Table 11: Parika’s population by sex and age
AGE (IN YEARS) Sex Total Males Females Below 5 yrs 260 256 516
5-9 279 273 552 10-14 216 251 467 15-17 120 110 230 Total 615 634 1249
Above 17 1173 1112 2285 Not Stated 34 22 56 TOTAL 2082 2024 4106
Marriage was most common for persons in unions, however there was a large percentage of common law relationships (Figure 1).
39 Figure 1: Marital/union status of persons by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over
Married
Common law 50.0 45.0 Divorced (not in union) 40.0 Legally separated
35.0 (not in union) 30.0 Widowed 25.0 Married (not in 20.0 union) Was common law Percentage (%) 15.0 (not in union) 10.0 Never In Union 5.0 Don't know/not 0.0 stated Marital/union status
4.2 The main source of livelihood in Parika
The residents of Parika got their livelihood mainly from employment and their own account activities such as businesses like shops and farms. Guyanese depend a lot on remittances from abroad but this was not very evident in Parika (Table 12). In fact, only 2% of the households admitted to having members living abroad (Table 13).
Table 12: Main source of livelihood by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over
Main source of livelihood SEX Total
Males Females % Count Employment/own account 1021 239 49 1260 Remittances (overseas) 7 2 0 9 Pension 40 46 3 86 Savings 9 4 1 13 Disability benefits 4 3 0 7 Parental/spouse 174 809 38 983 Other persons 40 101 5 141 Other 3 8 0 11 Not stated/don't know 29 32 2 61 Total 1327 1244 100 2571
40 Table 13: Households in Parika from which persons are living abroad
Persons living abroad Total
% Count Yes 2 16 No 98 982 Not stated/don't know 0 3 Total 100 1001
Declared earnings by the residents of Parika was mainly G$15, 000 to G$44, 999 per month. Residents who did not declare income amounted to 66% of the persons fifteen years and over (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Declared earnings per month of residents 15 years and over in Parika
70 < 15,000
60 15,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 44,999 50 45,000 - 59,999 40 60,000 - 74,999
30 75,000 - 89,999
Percentage (%) 20 90,000 - 119,999 120,000 + 10 Not Stated/Don't Know 0 Declared earnings group
Teenagers between 15 to 17 years accounted for 3% of the employed persons in Parika (Table 14). At that age most children would have completed primary school and be in secondary school or involved in career development training.
Table 14: Employed persons by sex of Parika residents 15 years and over
Age group SEX Total
Males Females % Count 15 – 17 28 5 3 33 Above 17 1016 248 96 1264 Not Stated 18 2 2 20 Total 1062 255 100 1317
41 The employed persons in Parika represented 51% of the persons 15 years and older in the community. A large percentage of persons were performing home duties (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Major activities of Parika residents 15 years and over
60 Worked 51 50 Had Work Looked for work and available 40 Wanted work and was 33 available 30 Attended School Performed Home Duties 20 Percentage (%) Retired/Too Old
10 6 Disabled 3 0 2 1 2 0 1 Other Activity 0 Major Activity Not Stated
4.3 The characteristics of the dwellings and homes
The 2002 census revealed that in Parika most households owned the houses they occupied (Figure 4). “Rent free” occupancy was the status of 15% of the households.
Figure 4: Household ownership in Parika
15% Owned 6% Squatted Rented - private 13% 64% Leased 2% Rent free
42 Like the houses in which the Parika households lived, the land was mainly owned by the households (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Land ownership in Parika
Owned/freehold 35 Leased-hold 30 Rented 25
20 Permission to work land 15 Sharecropping
Percentage (%) 10 5 Squatted
0 Don't know/not Land ownership stated Other
The dwellings were mainly undivided private houses whose outer walls were made mainly of wood (Figure 6 & 7).
Figure 6: Dwelling type
Undivided private 4% 1% house 13% Part of private house
Flat/apartment/ condominium
82% Combined business & dwelling
43 Figure 7: Outer wall construction material in Parika
80 70 Wood 60 50 Concrete 40 30 Wood & Concrete 20 10 Other Percentage (%) 0 Outer wall construction material
Drinking water was sourced primarily from rainfall water while the toilet facilities comprised mainly of pit latrines (Table 15 & 16).
Table 15: Main source of drinking water in Parika
Main source of drinking Total
% Count Piped Into Dwelling 3 26 Piped into Yard or Plot 5 48 Public Standpipe 1 9 Bottled Water 2 16 Rain water Collection 88 878 Unprotected Dug well 0 1 Pond/River/Stream 2 21 Not Stated/Don't Know 0 2 Total 100 1001
Table 16: Type of toilet facility in Parika
Type of toilet facility Total
% Count Water closet linked to sewer 0 2 Water closet, cesspit or septic tank 17 170 Pit – latrine 82 819 None 1 9 Not stated/don't know 0 1 Total 100 1001
44 The homes in Parika were lit mainly by electricity and kerosene lamps (Figure 8). The most common source of fuel for cooking was kerosene and gas (Figure 9).
Figure 8: Household lighting
50 Gas 40
Kerosene 30 20 Electricity
10 Generator/Inverter Percentage (%) 0 Household lighting
Figure 9: Household fuel for cooking
60 Wood 50 40 Gas
30 20 Kerosene
10 Electricity
Percentage (%) 0 Household fuel for cooking
The burning of refuse was the most popular means of garbage disposal followed by dumping in the waterways such as the sea, river and ponds (Figure 10).
45 Figure 10: Method of garbage disposal
Dumping on land
6% 1% 12% Burning
Dumping in 81% river/sea/pond Garbage collection service
4.4 Durables possessed by households
Most of the 1001 households in Parika possessed a radio/stereo and a television. Ownership of personal computers, electrical generators, washing machines and microwave ovens was rare (Table 17).
Table 17: Durables possessed by households in Parika Total Households durables % Count Radio/stereo 78 785 Television ownership 61 611 VCR/DVD 20 200 Personal Computer 2 22 Internet Connection 2 17 Private vehicle 11 109 Refrigerator/freezer 29 295 Washing machine 5 47 Gas Stove 37 373 Microwave oven 5 53 Telephone 30 305 Cellular Telephone 8 76 Water pump 10 100 Electrical generator 5 48
46 CHAPTER 5 Research Findings on Child Labour
5.1 Introduction
The data captured from the various instruments is presented by way of tables, figures and descriptive analysis. The focus is to provide an objective and factual review of the situation of the working children in Parika and its environs. Such a review would answer the main research questions and guide policies and actions targeting child labour in Parika and its environs.
5.2 Geographic location of the place of work
The working children were 133 in number. They comprised 114 boys and 19 girls (Table 18). The setting is the area in Parika and its environs where the children worked. The Parika market was the area of greatest concentration of working children. The Parika main road is the stretch of road that passes through the main commercial centre of Parika. On the Thursday and Sunday market days this road is encumbered by vendors selling on both sides. The traffic is allowed to move in one direction of the road on market days. Currently, the local government is building an open air market in a bid to lessen the traffic congestion which occurs on the main market days.
The Parika wharf is the major port for river traffic between the Essequibo coast and islands. The Government owned ferry service caters for people living in some parts of the Essequibo. This service is supplemented by privately owned speed boats which also operate from the wharf. These speed boats provide a vital service to people living in the creeks and tributaries, and banks of the Essequibo river. These speed boats would go to areas where the ferry cannot go. In addition, they work throughout the day and depart the wharf as soon as they are filled with passengers. They work like taxis and have no fixed time of departure. People see them as a means of quickly traversing the waterways of the county of Essequibo which is about a third of the Guyana land mass and is intertwined with numerous rivers and creeks. Travelling by boat is the easiest way to move about this county. The road links in this area are not well developed. Further, the natural terrain of the area necessitates the use of boats due to the presence of many creeks, rivers and mountains.
Parika back dam is a major farming area. From there, agriculture produce such as vegetables, ground provisions and fruits are supplied to the Parika market and areas as far as Georgetown, the capital of Guyana.
The “Other” setting (Table 19) comprised of the other locations in Parika and its environs where the children were found working.
47
Table 18: The working children’s setting by sex
SEX SETTING Boys Girls Total Parika market 28 6 34 Parika main road 11 5 16 Parika wharf 15 0 15 Parika back 5 0 5 Other 55 8 63 Total 114 19 133
The Zeeburg seawall was a major site of fishing activities where many children were found working. This fishing area is about five miles from Parika. The seawall is a massive structure which keeps out the Atlantic sea. The fishermen of the area use it as a landing to carry out their on-land fishing activities such as repairing nets and boats, sorting their catch and selling to fish vendors. The nearby Zeelugt seawall serves the same purpose like the one at Zeeburg. Similar activities also take place at the Parika seawall which is just a stone’s throw from the Parika market.
The Ruby back dam is next to Parika back dam and it is also an area which produces vegetables, ground provisions and fruits for the Parika market and other markets in the country, notably the Stabroek market in Georgetown.
The other villages listed in Table 19 are areas where working children were found in operation. They were all within a five mile radius of Parika.
Table 19: The working children’s other setting by sex
OTHER SEX SETTING Male Female Total De William 1 0 1 Good Hope 1 0 1 Hyde Park 3 0 3 Meten-meer-zorg 1 0 1 Namryck 2 1 3 Parika 7 5 12 Ruby Backdam 6 4 10 Unity 3 0 3 Zeeburg 22 1 23 Zeelugt 8 0 8 Roeden Rust 1 0 1 Total 55 11 66
48 5.3 Characteristics of working children and adolescents
Most of the working children were boys in the 15-17 and 10-14 age groups (Table 20). The working children were mainly of East Indian ethnicity followed by children of mixed ethnicity (Table 21). East Indians comprised the major ethnic group in Parika and its environs.
Table 20: The number of working children by sex and age
AGE (IN YEARS) SEX 5-9 10-14 15-17 Total Boys 7 49 58 114 Girls 1 5 13 19
Total 8 54 71 133
Table 21: Ethnic distribution of working children in the survey
ETHNICITY Percent Frequency African/black 8 11 Amerindian 9 12 East Indian 67 89 Mixed 16 21 Total 100 133
5.4 The working children’s education
Parika has 2 nursery schools, 2 primary schools and 1 community high school (chs). The latter school has a secondary department. There is also a privately ran educational complex which has primary and secondary departments. The enrolment at the nursery level in Parika totalled 188 children, 91 boys and 97 girls, as of the 2004 academic year. For the same period, there were 939 students enrolled in the primary schools and 160 students enrolled in the secondary department of the community high school. These figures excluded the enrolment at the privately ran school which had a student population of 162 students of which 61 were boys and 101 girls.
The nursery schools had a student to teacher ratio of 21 while at the community high school it was 31 for the primary level and 11 for the secondary department. The two primary schools had a student to teacher ratio of 28. The privately-run school had a student to teacher ratio of 33. At the national level, the student to teacher ratio is 17 for the nursery, 27 for the primary and 19 for the community high school (Table 6).
The environs of Parika comprised of nearby villages in which the working children lived. These villages are: 1. Anna Catherina 2. De Groot Incline
49 3. De Kindren 4. De William 5. Hyde Park 6. Hydronie 7. Lacabu 8. Leguan 9. Meten-meer-zorg 10. Namryck 11. Organestein 12. Philadelphia 13. Ruby Backdam 14. Stewartville 15. Tuschen 16. Uitvlugt 17. Unity 18. Zeeburg 19. Zeelugt
The working children attended the following schools within and outside Parika and its environs: 1. Parika Nursery School 2. Parika Back Primary School 3. Parika Salem Primary School 4. Parika Salem Secondary School 5. Anna Catherina Secondary School also known as Saint John Community High School 6. Leguan Secondary School 7. Leonora Secondary school 8. Meten-meer-zorg Primary School 9. Rama Krishna Nursery School 10. Rama Krishna Primary School 11. Ruby Back Primary School 12. Saint John Secondary School 13. San Souci Primary School 14. Santa Rosa Community High School 15. Santa Rosa Primary School 16. Saraswat Primary School 17. Saraswat Secondary School 18. Uitvlugt Secondary School 19. Universal Academy 20. Vergenoegen Community High School 21. Vergenoegen Primary School 22. Zeeburg Secondary School 23. Zeelugt Primary School
The Parika Salem primary and secondary schools had the largest contingent of working children (Table 22).
50 Most of the children were able to write but they had a difficulty with reading since only 48 of the 133 children were able to read. Their school attendance was very poor with many, 89%, not attending school last term, which was the term prior to the execution of the survey. Most of the children stopped attending school between one and two years ago.
When asked about their reasons for being absent from school last term, most of the working child said that “having to work” was the reason for their absence. The next most frequently cited reason was that “school was very expensive” (Figure 11).
Many of the working children went to school in the village where they worked-38% of them. However a significant number of them (29%) went to school in another village in the same region in which they worked. Of interest is the fact that 66% of the 133 working children attended secondary school. Those who attended primary school amounted to 54%.
Table 22: The allocation of working children according to schools they attended
SCHOOLS WORKING CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED SCHOOL % Count Anna Catherina Secondary School 8 11 Leguan Secondary School 2 2 Leonora Secondary school 3 4 Meten-meer-zorg Primary School 5 6 Parika Back Primary School 1 1 Parika Nursery School 1 1 Parika Salem Primary School 18 24 Parika Salem Secondary School 16 21 Rama Krishna Nursery School 1 1 Rama Krishna Primary School 1 1 Ruby Back Primary School 1 1 Saint John Secondary School 2 2 San Souci Primary School 1 1 Santa Rosa Community High School 1 1 Santa Rosa Primary School 2 3 Saraswat Primary School 2 3 Saraswat Secondary School 2 3 Uitvlugt Secondary School 3 4 Universal Academy 1 1 Vergenoegen Community High School 2 3 Vergenoegen Primary School 1 1 Zeeburg Secondary School 2 3 Zeelugt Primary School 5 7 Other schools elsewhere 11 14 Did not attend/not stated 11 14 Total 100 133
51 Figure 11: Reasons for school absence
School Very 30 Expensive No School Nearby
25 Ill Health/Disability 20 Expelled 15 Had to Work No Desire/Interest 10 Lack of 5 Documents Other % of working children 0
5.5 The characteristics of child labour in Parika and its environs
The worst forms of child labour activities in which the children in Parika and its environs were involved were vending, agriculture, fishing, shop assistants and freight handling (Table 23). The children who worked for employers were paid mainly by cash and only 2 of them were involved in hazardous domestic work (Table 24).
Table 23: Working children's main economic activity by sex
MAIN SEX ACTIVITY MALE FEMALE Total % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency
Agriculture 17 19 16 3 17 22 Fishing 18 21 5 1 17 22 Freight handlers 8 9 0 0 7 9 Shop Assistants 4 5 42 8 10 13 Vending 32 36 32 6 32 42 Other 21 24 5 1 19 25 Total 100 114 100 19 100 133
The “Other” category shown in Table 24 relates to a wide range of activities.
52 Table 24: Working children's other main economic activity by sex
OTHER SEX ACTIVITY MALE FEMALE Total % Count % Count % Count Cutting Trees-Felling, Laying 4 1 0 0 4 1 Domestic/Cleaner 4 1 100 1 8 2 Push Cart, Horse Cart/Hand Cart/Truck Transportation 4 1 0 0 4 1 Sweeping 8 2 0 0 8 2 Handyman 33 8 0 0 32 8 Body Work/Welder 8 2 0 0 8 2 Joiner-Shop Labourers 17 4 0 0 16 4 Painting & Scraping Boats 4 1 0 0 4 1 Maintenance/Services & Tying Up Of Boats 13 3 0 0 12 3 Not Stated 4 1 0 0 4 1 Total 100 24 100 1 100 25
Parika and its environs provide jobs mainly in commercial activities. The main formal type of jobs is provided by the regional administration of the area, the police, the banks, the schools, the health centres and a few stores. The manufacturing sector is minuscule and comprises a few furniture producers.
The Danns 17 report suggested that child labour was predominant in the informal sector. This was evident in Parika and its environs whereby the 133 identified child labourers were not employed in the formal sector of the economy. The 21 employers who participated in the survey had child labourers who worked for long hours, paid no taxes and were not part of the social security system of Guyana.
Most of the above-mentioned activities in the formal sector require workers who have acquired a reasonable level of primary and secondary education, or trade skills. These are jobs which the working children are excluded from due to their poor academic development and lack of trade skills.
The only jobs opened to the working children were vending, freight handling, manual and agricultural work. These activities are highlighted below.
Vending on the streets and market in Parika and its environs was done by 42% of the working children while agriculture and fishing were each undertaken by 22% of them (Figure 12).
17 Op cit. p 79.
53 Figure 12: Working children’s main economic activities by sex
120 Other 100 80 Vending 60 Shop Assistants 40 Freight handlers 20 Fishing 0 % of working children Boys Girls Total Agriculture
According to the International Classifications of Occupations (ISCO-88), published by ILO in 1990, “Street vendors and related workers sell food and other goods in streets and public places, or from door to door, or by telephone” (p 250). On page 155 of the said ILO document, “Shop salespersons and demonstrators demonstrate and sell goods in wholesale establishments to retailers and large-scale consumers or to consumers in retail establishments”.
Shop assistants, in the context of Parika and its environs, refer to persons who are shop salespersons. The term "assistant" emphasizes the fact that the person is an employee and not the employer or owner of the business. Shop assistants were 13% of the child labourers.
The category “Other” of Figure 12 is expanded in Figure 13. The handymen totalled 8 of the 25 child labourers in this category.
The working children generally walked to work (56% of them). Those who used public transportation to get to work amounted to 17%, while 14% bicycled to work.
In Parika the major market days are Thursdays and Sundays. Thursdays were the days when most of the child labourers worked.
There was much variation in the number of hours worked per day by the working children. However, 8 hours per day occurs with the greatest frequency followed by 3 and 4 hours per day with the same level of frequency of 15% of the child labour population. Work days of 10 and 12 hours also occurred with a fairly high frequency level.
In Guyana the norm for most workers is an 8-hour work day. In places like Parika, people would rise fairly early to go to the farms and markets in order to complete their chores before the sunshine becomes too intense. So some activities would be associated with fairly short hours of work. This was witnessed at Zeelugt where the children sorted fish and shrimp. They started work on the seawall as early as 5am in the morning when
54 the place is still dark but by 9am they had finished their work. Notwithstanding the tropical heat in Guyana, most of the children elsewhere in Parika and its environs worked throughout the day.
Figure 13: Working children's other main economic
Not Stated
120 Maintenance/Services/ Tying Boats Painting & Scraping 100 Boats Joiner/Shop Labourers 80 Body Work/ Welder
60 Handyman
Sweeping 40 Push Cart, Horse Cart % of working children 20 etc Domestic/ Cleaner
0 Cutting Trees Boys Girls Total
The lifting of heavy loads was another hazard of the existence of the working children. This is most vividly seen by the freight handlers who fetch goods to and from the ferry and mini-buses.
Most of the working children were self employed but significant amounts were involved in family businesses and employed by private individuals. The males were mainly self- employed while the females worked with family members. The main vending activities were controlled by family businesses.
Employers of the children paid them mainly by cash. Of the 38 children working with private businesses, only one was paid with products of the business. The child labourers generally earned G$1000 and less per day. Some of the boys were able to earn above G$1000 (or US$5) per day but not the girls (Figure 14).
The children’s earnings were mainly used between them and their families. However significant numbers of children either kept all of their earnings for themselves or give all of it to their families. Most of the girls fell into the group of children who kept some of their earnings for themselves and gave the rest to their families.
55 Figure 14: Amount paid/earned per day by sex
G$500 and less 60 50 G$501 to G$1000 40 30 G$1001 to G$1500 20 G$1501 to 10 G$2000 0 G$3501 to % of working children Boys Girls Total G$4000
The nature of the children’s activities did not in general expose them to much physical dangers. Nevertheless, 24 of the 133 working children admitted to having used some form of equipment to safeguard their health. Special footwear was the most commonly mentioned item of protection.
The most common types of injuries faced by the working children were burns, wounds and bruises. Eye infection, falls and fractures were other important types of injuries experienced by the children.
The West Demerara Public Hospital is about 19 miles from Parika and it is the main medical facility for people on the West Bank of Demerara and the Essequibo Coast. According to the children, the hospital was used by 59% of them when they needed medical help. The surrounding health centres were next in importance for providing help to these children. A lot of them also depended on traditional medicine for medical help.
5.6 The working children’s secondary activities and their first job
Owing to the economic situation in Guyana, many persons are involved in more than one activity in order to meet their daily cost of living. The working children are no exception. However, only 20 of the 133 child labourers were involved in secondary activities. Such activities were undertaken mainly by the boys and were in agriculture and odd jobs. The children performed these jobs mainly at the Parika wharf and on farms.
Many of the working children had their first job in vending followed by agriculture. In addition, many of them started to work at age 5 to 9 years (Table 25). Most of the girls had their first job at age 10 to 14 years.
56 Table 25: Age at first job by sex
AGE AT SEX FIRST JOB MALE FEMALE TOTAL (YEARS) % Count % Count % Count 5-9 21 23 5 1 18 24 10-14 61 69 64 12 62 81 15-17 14 16 27 5 16 21 Not stated 5 6 5 1 5 7 Total 100 114 100 19 100 133
5.7 Working children’s non-work activities and leisure
The most common household chore undertaken by the working children was the fetching of water. This was followed by the taking care of siblings and the cleaning of the house (Figure 15). Most of these activities were done by children 13 years and older.
Figure 15: Household chores by sex
Other
100 Cook 80 Clean the house 60 Wash clothes 40 Collect firewood 20 Fetch water % occurrences 0
Take care of siblings Boys Girls Total
When asked about the use of their free time to do school work, the most frequent response was “sometimes” as against “always” and “never”. There was a lack of aggressiveness as it related to studying at home. As expected, a large number of the working children used their free time to play “sometimes”. Only 14% of the child labourers said that they never used their free time to play.
Notwithstanding the tight economic conditions of many Guyanese, watching television is prevalent in many homes. Persons even go over to neighbours’ homes to view the popular programmes, especially in areas like Parika and its environs. When asked about the use of their free time to watch television, 17% of the working children claimed that they never watch television in their spare time. Children who claimed to have watched television sometimes during their spare time totalled 67%.
57 For the use of their spare time for sports, going out with friends and discussing social issues with families, the most frequent response from the working children was “sometimes”.
Smoking of tobacco and the drinking of alcohol is usually associated with people living in farming communities like Parika and its environs. Smoking, however, has taken on a new dimension with the advent of cocaine and other “hard” drugs. A common feature in these areas is the “rum shops” where the patrons spend long hours drinking alcohol which is produced in Guyana and sold fairly cheaply.
Very few of the child labourers admitted to smoking either tobacco or cocaine. Only 8 of the 133 children admitted to be smokers. Of the 19 females interviewed one girl admitted to smoking. As with smoking, very few of the child labourers admitted to drinking alcohol. Of the 113 children, 16 said that they were alcohol drinkers. One girl was included in the group of drinkers.
5.8 Assistance To The Working Children
The charitable organizations best known to the children were the Muslim organizations. The churches were the next most important contributor of help to the working children (Table 26).
Table 26: Organisations providing help by sex
ORGANISATIONS SEX PROVIDING HELP MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Count % Count % Count Muslim 57 4 0 0 50 4 Faith Community Church 29 2 0 0 25 2 Grace Pentecostal Church 14 1 100 1 25 2 Total 100 7 100 1 100 8
Figure 16: The frequency of help
Fortnightly
Monthly
Yearly
58 Of the 8 working children receiving help, 5 claimed to have gotten such help on a monthly basis (Figure 16 above).
The provision of meals was the main type of help working children received from the charitable organizations (Table 27).
Table 27: Type of help by sex of working children
HELP SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Count % Count % Count Meal 86 6 100 1 88 7 Medical 14 1 0 0 13 1 Total 100 7 100 1 100 8
5.9 Family members living with the working children
The working children were required to state whether or not they were living with fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents, other family or non-family members. There were 79 instances whereby the father was found to be living in the home as against 100 instances for the mother (Table 28). This implies a situation whereby many of the children were living in homes where the father was not present. Many of the working children were living with siblings.
Table 28: Persons living in the home by sex of working children
PERSONS LIVING IN THE HOME SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency Father 23 68 23 11 23 79 Mother 29 85 32 15 29 100 Brothers/sisters 33 96 36 17 33 113 Grandfathers/grandmothers 6 17 4 2 6 19 Other family 6 17 2 1 5 18 Other non-family 3 10 2 1 3 11
Of the 133 child labourers, 39 had working brothers and sisters below 18 years (Table 29).
59
Table 29: Working siblings under 18 by sex of the working children
WORKING SIBLINGS UNDER 18 SEX OF CHILD LABOUR MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Count % Count % Count Yes 26 30 47 9 29 39 No 74 84 53 10 71 94 Total 100 114 100 19 100 133
The working custodians of the child labourers totalled 68% (Table 30).
Table 30: Work status of custodian by sex of the working child
WORK STATUS OF CUSTODIAN SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency Works 26 30 58 11 68 91 Don't Work 74 84 42 8 32 42 Total 100 114 100 19 100 133
5.10 The children’s attitudes, expectations and feelings
Most of the working children claimed to feel good when they worked. Further, 18% said that working is good. Working was not their idea claimed 16% of the working children. However, only 8% thought that working was harmful. More than half of the working children, 53%, confessed that they would like to stop working. Those who worked to support their family numbered 81% (Figure 17).
Figure 17: Children’s feelings about work
25
Feel good 20
Have time to play 15 Support family
10 Would like to stop
5 Work activity is Percentage (%) harmful Working is good 0 Children's feelings about work Working was child's idea
60 Of the 133 working children, 102 of them said that they liked school and wanted to continue their schooling. School was better than work for 91 of them; school was too expensive for 56 children while 20 saw school as boring (Figure 18).
Figure 18: Children feelings about school
Like school 25 School is boring
20 Want to continue studying 15 Receive bad treatment from teacher
10 School better than work Percentage (%) School too far away 5
No space in school 0 Children's feelings about school School too expensive
Most of the children said that they were happy. Those who claimed to be always tired numbered 27 while 22 of them said that they were always sleepy. Being always lonely was the complaint of 20 children. Those children who claimed to be always frightened numbered 7 (Figure 19).
Figure 19: The children's other feelings in the context of work
Always hungry 50 Always lonely 40 Always sleepy 30 Always happy
20 Always tired Always frightened Percentage (%) 10 Always angry 0 Always in pain The children's feelings
61 5.11 Characteristics of the home
Traditional wisdom says that a home portrays a lot about the persons living there. In a bid to build up a picture of the conditions under which the working children lived, the custodians were asked various questions relating to the physical structure in which they lived along with the amenities that were at their disposal. Such items of household consumption were selected based on the norms of the people of that area.
To gauge the level of overcrowding of the dwellings, questions were asked of the number of persons and rooms in the homes. From a national standpoint 4 persons per household was the average household size. Was this the situation with the working children’s households? How much income was being earned by the household? These were questions, if answered, would help provide a clear picture as to the conditions under which the working children existed and thus highlight some of the factors which propelled them into the world of work at an early age.
5.11.1 Characteristics of the house
Information was collected on 105 parents and their dwellings. The outer walls of 73 of the 105 dwellings had wood while 13 had concrete (Figure 20). The roofs were covered mainly with sheet metal while the floors of the homes were mostly wooden.
Figure 20: Type of material in the outer wall
WOOD CONCRETE WOOD/CONCRETE WALLS ADOBE MAKE/ SHIFT STRAW/PALM LEAF OTHER NOT STATED
The dwellings were mainly undivided private houses that were mostly owned and fully paid for by the children’s families (Figure 21). Many of the working children also lived in rent free dwellings (Figure 22).
62 Figure 21: Type of dwelling
UNDIVIDED PRIVATE HOUSE IMPROVISED
APARTMENT
ROOM IN TENEMENT OTHER
Figure 22: Type of tenancy
RENTED
RENT FREE
SQUATTED
OWNED/TOTALLY PAID
LEASED
OWNED/MORTGAGED
OTHER
NOT STATED
The homes of the working children were lighted mainly by kerosene, diesel or gasoline lamps (Figure 23). However, 21 of the dwellings received electricity from the Guyana Power and Light Inc. This low number of electricity lighted homes was not surprising given the current situation in Guyana whereby many consumers of electricity from the national power grid are finding it very difficult to pay their monthly light bills.
63 Figure 23: Lighting in dwelling
PUBLIC ELECTRICTY OWN ELECTRICTY
KEROSENE/DIESEL/ GASOLENE OTHER
NOT STATED
Latrines for private use were the most commonly used toilet facility in the dwellings (Figure 24). Homes served by publicly used latrines numbered 19. The habit of using pit latrines is a rural custom that is gradually declining with the expansion of the national water system to many parts of Guyana. Many people still find it very inexpensive to use this type of toilet facility given their low incomes and general impoverished way of life.
Figure 24: Toilet in dwelling
80 CONNECTED TO SEWER 60 LATRINE FOR COMMON USE 40 LATRINE FOR PRIVATE USE 20 NONE No. of households 0 NOT STATED TOILET FACILITIES
Of the 105 dwellings, 32 had access to water piped into the yard. Those homes which used mainly rain water totalled 21 while 10 had pipe-borne water into the dwellings. The others got water from rivers/ponds/creek or elsewhere (Figure 25).
64 Figure 25: Water in dwelling
PIPED INTO DWELLING 35 PIPED INTO YARD
30 PUBLIC STANDPIPE 25 TUBE-WELL BOREHOLE WITH PUMP 20 POND/RIVER/STREAM VENDOR/PRIVATE 15 SUPPLIER RAIN WATER 10 OTHER
No. of households 5 NOT STATED 0 WATER IN DWELLING
Based on the information collected from the custodians of the working children, most of the homes had a household size of four persons which corroborated with the information provided by the children. The next most common household size was that of 7 persons (Figure 26).
Figure 26: Number of persons living in a household
1 20 2 18 3 16 14 4 12 5 10 6 8 7 6 8
No. of persons 4 9 2 10 0 13 HOUSEHOLD SIZE NOT STATED
Of the 105 dwellings, 32 contained three bedrooms. Another 28 dwellings were one- room structures while 24 were of 2 bedrooms (Figure 27).
65
Figure 27: Number of rooms in the dwelling
35
1 30 2 25 20 3 15 4 10 5
No. of dwellings 5 7 0 NOT STATED NUMBER OF ROOMS
In bid to get a sense of the material status of the working children’s household, questions were asked of the presence of certain consumption items in the home. Of the 105 dwellings, 57 of them reported the presence of radios. Dwellings which had televisions numbered 55. Most of the fridges were located in the farming area and amounted to 17. Gas stoves were located in 29 dwellings. Bicycles were found in 43 dwellings while 13 dwellings reported the presence of generators. Dwellings which had sewing machines totalled 18 and those with clothes irons also totalled 18. Of the 105 dwellings, 17 had electrical fans (Figure 28). The dwellings with the greatest concentration of the items listed above were mainly located in Parika.
Figure 28: The presence of certain consumption items in the dwelling
60
RADIO VEHICLE 50 TELEVISION NO. OF HOUSEHOLDS VCR_DVD PC 40 FRIDGE WASHER GAS STOVES 30 MICRWAVE PHONE CELLPHONE 20 WATER PUMP BICYCLE GENERATOR 10 BLENDER SEWING MACHINE IRON FAN 0 CONSUMPTION ITEMS
66 5.11.2 Living arrangements
Guyana has a fairly religious population with about 87% of the population being attached to a religious faith such as the Christians, Muslims or Hindus (the 1991 census). Much importance is attached to the family and the tradition of marriage between a man and woman is well established. The man is generally the head of the household and also the major bread winner.
There is a growing trend whereby a number of female single-parent households are emerging. The absence of the male and the stabilizing and role model effect of his presence were lost to many of the working children.
There were instances in Parika and its environs where the custodians were drug addicts and drunkards. The children were left to fend for themselves and they joined the rank of the child labourers under those circumstances. It was clear that many of the children were from broken homes or from homes where the custodians could not cope with the financial demands placed on them.
The custodians of the 133 working children numbered 194 persons. The majority of these individuals, 128 persons, were of East Indian ethnicity, 26 were Mixed, 20 were Amerindians and 17 were African (Figure 29).
Figure 29: Ethnic breakdown of parents or guardians
African
Amerindian
East Indian
Mixed
Don't Know/Not Stated
Married custodians amounted to 80 persons while 70 individuals lived in common-law relationships. Persons who were separated numbered 7 and 1 individual was divorced (Figure 30).
67 Figure 30: Marital status of the custodians
80 Common-law 70 Married 60 Separated 50 Divorced 40 30 Widowed 20 Single
No. of persons 10 Don't know/not 0 MARITAL STATUS OF stated CUSTODIANS
There were 93 custodians who were mothers, 88 fathers and 13 guardians (Figure 31).
Figure 31: The frequency of occurrence of custodians in the home
50
Father 40 30 Mother age (%) 20 Guardian 10 Percent 0 CUSTODIAN
Of the 194 custodians, 153 lived in the households of the working children (Figure 32).
68 Figure 32: Parent/guardian live in household
YES
NO
DON'T KNOW/NOT STATED
Custodians living away from the homes of the working children numbered 40; 13 left the home, 6 were deceased, 4 live abroad while 1 was imprisoned (Figure 33).
Figure 33: Parent/guardian's reasons for not living in the household
LIVE ABROAD 14 12 LEFT HOME 10 DECEASED
8 6 IMPRISONED 4 OTHER 2 No. of custodians 0 DON'T REASONS FOR PARENT KNOW/NOT NOT LIVING IN HOME STATED
Custodians in the 40 to 49 years age group amounted to 69 individuals while 49 were in the 35 to 39 age group (Figure 34).
69 Figure 34: The age of the parent/guardians
80 15-19 yrs
70 20-24 yrs 60 50 25-29 yrs 40 30-34 yrs 30 35-39 yrs 20 40-49 yrs 10 No. of custodians 0 50 yrs AGE GROUP NOT STATED
Custodians who were born in another region numbered 64 of the 194 individuals while 53 were born in another village or ward of the same region. Those who were born in the village where they were residing totalled 51 persons (Figure 35).
Figure 35: Custodians’ place of birth
VILLAGE/WARD 70 60 ANOTHER/VILLAGE 50
40 ANOTHER REGION 30 20 ANOTHER COUNTRY
No. of persons 10 0 DON'T KNOW/NOT CUSTODIANS' PLACE OF BIRTH STATED
One year ago 144 custodians lived in the same village as they did at the time of the survey. Those who were born in another region numbered 48 persons, while 45 were born in the same village they were residing at the time of the interview and 45 were born in another village or ward in the same region (Figure 36).
70 Figure 36: The village where parent/guardian lived one year ago
This Village/ward
Another village/ward Another Region
Another country
Don't know/not stated
Those custodians who moved from their villages or wards one year ago, prior to the survey, amounted to 32 individuals. Custodians who moved due to work were 6 in number while 5 moved for family reasons. The others moved due to other reasons (Figure 37).
Figure 37: The reasons for parent/guardian moving one year ago
Work 8 Marriage 7 Marital separation 6 5 Family reasons 4 Looking for security 3 Financial reasons No. of persons 2 Other 1 0 Don't know/not REASONS FOR MOVING 1 YEAR AGO stated
Most of the custodians lived in Region 3 five years ago. This is the region in which the survey was executed. Very few of them moved from the region five years ago (Figure 38).
71 Figure 38: The region in which the parent/guardian lived five years ago
150 This Region
100 Another Region
50 Another country No. persons 0 Don't know/not REGION stated
Those who moved five years ago did so due to work and family reasons. Other important reasons for moving were marital separation and financial reasons (Figure 39).
Figure 39: The reasons for parent/guardian moving five years ago
Work 9 Marriage 8 7 Marital separation
6 Family reasons 5 4 Looking for 3 security Financial reasons 2 No. of persons 1 Other 0 REASONS FOR MOVING
5.11.3 The educational status of the custodians
Of the 194 custodians, 115 were able to read while 119 were able to write. A greater number of mothers knew how to read and write than fathers.
Those who completed standard four at the primary level of education numbered 19 while 15 completed “form 1”, 16 “form 2” and 14 “form 3” of the secondary level of education. There were 23 custodians who had no education or only completed the nursery level of education.
72 During the last two years only 7 custodians received training for specific occupations or professions. Of that number, 2 were females.
5.11.4 The employment status of the custodians
The employed custodians were mainly in the 40 to 49 and the 35 to 39 age group and numbered 100 individuals. They represented 52% of the custodians. Most of the non- working custodians spend their time performing home duties. The occupations of the custodians varied. From the information provided 37 were involved in agriculture, 8 in manufacturing while 27 were classified as vendors with no fixed location. The remaining 28 custodians were involved in other activities such as sailing, construction and so on (Figure 40).
Figure 40: Type of job activity of the custodian
Agriculture
40 Manufacturing 35 Trade
30 Sailor 25 Mason, Carpenter, 20 Joiner 15 Domestic / Cleaner 10 Watchman/security Percentage (%) 5 Other 0 JOB ACTIVITY
The self-employed custodians amounted to 45 individuals (or 45%). There were 23 permanent employees (figure 41).
Those custodians who worked 8 and fewer hours per week totalled 13 persons, 20 worked 9 to 16 hours per week while 27 worked above 48 hours per week (Figure 42). Those custodians working long hours were at a disadvantage as it pertained to the personal supervision of their children.
73 Figure 41: The job position of the custodian
Employer/boss
3% Self employed 1%5% 12% 11% Permanent employee Temporary employee 23% Non-payed family 45% worker Domestic servant
Other
Figure 42: The number of hours custodians worked
8 and below 13% 27% 9 to 16 17 to 24 20% 25 to 32 33 to 40 12% 5% 41 to 48 8% 15% Above 48 hrs
Most of the custodians earned G$501 to G$1000 per day (37 persons). However 16 earned G$1001 to G$1500 per day while 21 earned G$1501 and higher per day (Table 31). Only 12 of the 194 custodians had a second job. Table 31: The daily earnings of custodians by their sex
EARNINGS (G$) SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Count % Count % Count 500 and below 4 4 8 8 6 12 501 to 1000 22 20 17 17 19 37 1001 to 1500 15 14 2 2 8 16 1501 to 2000 8 7 3 3 5 10 2001 and higher 6 6 5 5 6 11 Not stated 10 9 5 5 7 14 Non-working custodians 35 33 60 61 48 94 Total 100 93 100 101 100 194
74
5.11.5 The expectations of the custodians
In order to gauge the custodians’ urgent needs and understand their aspirations for the future, the custodians were asked what they required urgently to improve their life, their job preference, how they would spend credit and about their past experience as independent or self-employed workers.
The responses indicated that employment was the most urgent need of 27% of the 194 custodians while the need for a dwelling was most urgent for 19% or 37 others (Figure 43).
Figure 43: Custodians' urgent need
Dwelling 30 Health 25 Education 20 Employment 15 10 Other Percentages (%) 5 Don't know/not stated 0 URGENT NEED
Most of the custodians indicated a preference to work by themselves if given the opportunity to choose a job (Figure 44).
Figure 44: Custodians' job preference
28% Individual
Organised with other people 8% 64% Don't know/not stated
If credit is provided, 81 (or 42%) said that they would prefer to spend it on creating a business. Those whose preference was to buy a dwelling numbered 28 (14%) whilst a similar percentage felt educating their children would be better (Figure 45).
75
Figure 45: Custodians' preference in spending credit
Business 45 40 Buy a dwelling 35 Educate children 30 25 Home furnishings 20 Travel 15 Percentage (%) 10 Other 5 Don't know/not 0 stated SPENDING CREDIT
When asked whether they had worked as an independent or self employed worker before, 107 custodians (or 55%) said “yes” (figure 46).
Figure 46: Custodians' previous self-employed work
16% Yes
No 56% 28% Don't know/not stated
5.11.6 Characteristics of Boys and Girls under 18 years
The working children’s custodians provided information on the children living in the homes of the child labourers. Such children, who were under 18 years and living in the homes of child labourers, amounted to 319. This number also included the 133 child labourers (Table 32). Therefore the number of children at risk of themselves becoming child labours totalled 186.
Table 32: Children living in homes in which at least one child is working
SEX Percent Frequency Male 64 204 Female 36 115 Total 100 319
76
Of the 319 children living in homes in which at least one working child resides, 40% were 9 years and smaller while 38% were between 10 to 14 years (Figure 47). The number of girls totalled 115 (or 36%).
Figure 47: Age of children in households with at least one child labourer
50 40 9 and lower 30 10-14 20 15-17
Percentage (%) 10 Age not known 0 AGE IN YEARS
Figure 48: Custodians by the percentage of children in their care
Father
70 Mother 60 Stepfather 50 Stepmother
Brother/sister 40 Grandfather/mother 30 Uncle/aunt 20 Other relative 10 Non-relative Don't know/not stated % Of Children 0 TYPE OF CUSTODIAN
The children below 18 years were taken care of mainly by mothers (Figure 48). Such children amounted to 212 of the 319 children. Many of the households associated with working children were female-headed. As mentioned above, there were 100 instances of mothers being present in these homes as against 79 instances of the father being present (Table 28). The challenge to the single female parent is enormous in poor communities. They spend a lot of time and energies trying to feed, clothe and house their children with the end result being poor daily supervision of the children. Many of these children skip school due to hunger and other reasons. The custodians of the homes from which the working child lived reported that only 34% of the children went to school last term, that is, the school term prior to the survey (Figure 49). Of note is the fact that although the child labourers were working, some of them went to school periodically but not on a regular basis.
77 Figure 49: School attendance of children in the households of working children
17% Attended school
1% Did not attend 48% school Don't know/not stated 34% Child below 5yrs & not at school
Figure 50: Custodians’ reasons for children not attending school
70 Very expensive
60 No convenient 50 school nearby 40 Disease/disability 30 20 Work
10 Not interested 0 REASONS FOR NON- ATTENDANCE
When asked the reason for the children not going to school, the custodians’ main response was that sending the children to school was too expensive (Figure 50). This contrasts with the working children’s response for not going to school. The working children’s main response was that they had to work followed by their claim of school being too expensive to attend (Figure 11 above).
The custodians were asked to report on the earnings of the working children in their care. Such information portrayed 45% of the children earning G$500 or less as against 43% when the children provided the information (Figure 14 above). According to the custodians 44% of the children earned G$501 to G$1000 as against 43% by the children (Table 33). The figures provided by the two types of informants were fairly similar.
78 Table 33: Custodians’ report on amounts paid/earned per day by working children
AMOUNT PAID/EARNED PER DAY SEX MALE FEMALE TOTAL % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency G$500 and less 47 37 33 3 45 40 G501 to G$1000 42 33 67 6 44 39 G$1001 to G$1500 10 8 0 0 9 8 G$1501 to G$2000 1 1 0 0 1 1 G$2001 to G$2500 0 0 0 0 0 0 G$2501 to G$3000 0 0 0 0 0 0 G$3001 to G$3500 0 0 0 0 0 0 G$3501 to G$4000 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 100 79 100 9 100 88
Whereas the working children said burns, wounds and bruises were the most frequent injuries, the custodians reported fever, flu and cold as the most frequent illness to affect the children (Figure 51). They were apparently not familiar with the workplace injuries/illnesses or the children misrepresented the injuries/illnesses that occur at the workplace.
Figure 51: Custodians’ report on work related illnesses/injuries
70 Falls/Fractures Eye Infection 60 Skin Problems
50 Burns, wounds & bruises Ear infections 40 Body pains 30 Fever, flu or cold Headache 20 None 10 Percentage (%) Other 0 Don't know/not stated ILLNESSES/INJURIES
5.11.7 Custodians’ attitudes and expectations
Most of the custodians wanted better and different jobs for their children. They felt that working children demonstrate a better sense of responsibility. Further, they thought their children had to work just like them when they were themselves children. If given the opportunity they felt that their children should leave the community (Figure 52).
79 Figure 52: Custodians’ expectations of child labourers
100
80
60 Not stated No 40 Yes Percentage (%) 20
0 Opport Jobs Respon Work Leave
Opport=Opportunities; Jobs=Different jobs: Respon=Responsibility; Work=Have to work; Leave=Should leave
Most custodians thought that useful things were learnt at school and that more things were learnt there rather than at home. Many children were said to have quit school due to the poor quality of education. What was learnt at school was considered more important that that learnt at home by most of the custodians. Notably fewer custodians agreed that the schools do not provide a proper education in their area (Figure 53).
Figure 53: Custodians’ thoughts about school
100 80 60 Not stated 40 No
Percentage (%) 20 Yes 0 Useful Learn Poor School Sch more edu import poor edu
Useful=Useful things learnt at school; learn=Learn more at home; Poor edu=Stop school due to quality poor education School import= Learning at school more important than that of home; Sch poor edu= In this area school does not provide proper education
The custodians, who reported receiving help outside of the home, totalled 7 individuals. Most of the help came from the government’s social welfare programme (Figure 54).
80
Figure 54: Help to the homes of the working child as reported by the custodians
14% GOVERNMENT 14% INSURANCE 58% NGO 14% DON'T KNOW
5.12 Child labour consequences on education, health and income
According to Jacobsen et al (1981), “abstractions are ideas that people use to describe and understand their world”. In this context, education is seen as a process in which abstract ideas of a culture are transmitted to the young people of that culture.
In the context of Parika and its environs, the most effective means of delivering education is by way of the schools-nursery, primary and secondary.
One immediate consequence of child labour on education is the children’s inability to read as highlighted earlier. This has far-reaching effects right on through to their most productive years of life.
All of the most basic things in life would be affected. For example, they would not be able to legally acquire a driver’s licence since reading is a prerequisite for passing the examinations which would qualify someone to hold a licence in Guyana. In fact, all written instructions or information would be lost to these children.
A major consequence of child labour on education in Parika and its environs is the lure it provides to the children who are going to school. They see their peers spending their own money and appearing to live a life free from restrictions. The effect may be for them to join the band of working children, given the difficult financial circumstances many of them are faced with.
The working children seemed to be in reasonable health, as reported earlier. However, the type of activities involved in some of their jobs do make them candidates for back pains and other disorders of the back, due to the lifting of heavy loads.
They are constantly exposed to physical and sexual abuses which may bring them into contact with aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. The children generally only seek medical help when they have a serious medical problem and this means that many ailments would only be noticed when they have progressed to dangerous stages.
81
The working children generally earned G$1000 and less per day. Based on what many adults are getting and the minimum wage of G$710 per day, it may seem that these children are doing well. However, the consequence of their activities is that they are not exposed to adequate academic training that would boost their earning capacity as they mature. Their lack of educational development precludes them from skills training where the main vehicle of learning is via reading and writing.
The long-term prediction is for most of these children to be trapped in low-paying jobs which provide earnings too inadequate to properly provide for a family.
The working children attended 13 schools prior to the execution of the survey. Of those schools, 6 were secondary schools, 6 primaries and 1 nursery. Information on these schools revealed that most of them (69%) were built between 31 to 50 years ago. The schools all had water and sanitary facilities. However, all but 1 had electricity.
5.13 Characteristics of employers
The working children were mostly itinerant vendors who worked with families or by themselves. They had no formal attachment which necessitated the payment of taxes and social security contributions.
The survey captured responses from 21 employers of the working children - 14 of them were males. The employers were mainly of East Indian ethnicity. There was a wide variation in their ages (Figure 55). These employers were fairly literate with 59% of them completing a level of secondary education (Figure 56). Their main activity was vending.
Figure 55: The age profile of the employers
25 yrs and lower 26 to 35 yrs 5% 14% 19% 36 to 40 yrs 14% 41 to 45 yrs 14% 46 to 50 yrs 5% 10% 19% 51 to 55 yrs 56yrs and higher Not Stated
82
Figure 56: The highest completed employers' school grade
None/nursery 80
60 40 Completed a level at primary 20 education % of employers
0 Completed a level Male Female Total at secondary education
Notwithstanding the fact that Thursdays and Sundays were the main market days in Parika, most of the interviewed employers indicated that they usually work throughout the week. They usually worked above 8 hours per day (Figure 57).
Figure 57: Hours worked by employers
14% Below 8 hrs 8 hrs 57% 29% Above 8 hrs
The workers of these employers were normally paid daily and weekly. However, most of the employers said they paid their workers weekly. All of the employees were paid in cash. Only 4 of the 21 employers paid children the same wages like adults.
The practice of piece work whereby work is paid for by the amount produced, was not prevalent. Only two employers had such a system in place.
83 When asked about their views on child labourers, the employers were very positive in their responses. They saw no great need for child labourers in Parika and its environs but felt that the children must work to learn. However the danger here is when the work began impeding the academic and social development of the children. In the case of Parika and its environs, the children neglected their school in order to earn a living and supplement the income of their households.
The employers were in general prepared to participate in activities which are geared towards the elimination of child labour and have no problem helping in the monitoring of such prevention activities.
5.14 Characteristics, perceptions and commitment of key actors
The key actors who influenced policies and opinions in Parika and its environs are the community leaders. There were 28 such individuals who were interviewed - they were mainly from Parika. However, community leaders were selected from the surrounding villages where the working children resided.
Shown below is a breakdown of the profile of the community leaders of the survey.
Table 34: The profile of community leaders
Community Leaders Number Religious leaders (Christian, Muslim and Hindu) 18 Educators 6 Police 1 Sawmill owner 1 Farmer development association chairman 1 Speed boat association chairman 1 Total 28
Further mention must be made of the latter two organizations from which the community leaders came. The Parika-based Farmer Development Association is a non-governmental body which seeks to promote the interest of farmers in Parika and its environs. This body is in a perfect position to influence the practices of the farmers as it relates to the hiring of persons, especially child labour. Further, it would be cognizant of the situation regarding child labour by its members.
The Speedboat Association of Parika has members who provide public river transportation to the people of the Essequibo coast and islands. Its operators are in daily contact with the working children who are freight handlers, handymen and vendors on the Parika wharf.
All of the community leaders had completed primary school while 79% of them
84 completed their secondary level education. They were fairly literate.
East Indians make up the majority of the population in Parika and its environs. The sample of community leaders reflected this reality whereby 61% of them were of East Indian ethnicity.
When asked about their perceptions of child labour the overwhelming response from the community leaders was that such activities were not good for the children’s academic and social development. They felt that the children were deprived of realizing their dreams. Many ascribed the reasons for child labour in Parika and its environs to: ? poverty in the homes ? tradition in agriculture ? lack of knowledge on the parents’ part ? broken homes ? female led single parent households ? drug addicted parents ? abusive parents
Community leaders saw family planning as a way of controlling the size of families so that parents can better met the financial needs of their household. Rather than vending and doing odd jobs, community leaders felt that the child should be encouraged to learn a trade such as plumbing, carpentry or block making. In Parika and its environs there is currently a building boom whereby houses are being built in the new housing schemes in the area.
Discussions with the community leaders gave the impression that child labour issues were not of a major concern to people in those areas. Outside of the survey, there was not much activities focused on the working children. However, the community leaders were committed to any project which would better the lot of the working children and their communities.
It was felt that participation by persons in Parika and its environs can be induced by way of: ? proper timing of the activities ? providing educational programmes to help school dropouts ? getting the community’s input in the planning of the programmes ? acquiring a building for such activities ? providing financial help for the parents ? providing employment for parents ? organizing sport activities
85 86 CHAPTER 6 Conclusions
The survey on child labour activities in Parika has revealed that most of such activities occurred in the Parika market, Parika main road, Parika wharf, Parika back dam and at the Zeelugt seawall. There were 133 working children in mainly vending, farming, sorting fish and shrimp, and fishing.
These working children were associated with a further 185 siblings who were at risk of joining the group of child labours in the area.
The working children were mostly boys of East Indian ethnicity between the ages of 7 to 17 years. The children had free access to health centres in Parika and its environs. Those who could have afford it, accessed pharmacies for drugs and treatment.
6.1 Child labour activities in Parika and its environs
The absence from school of the working children was due mainly to economic reasons. Their custodians were not able to properly upkeep them.
On the market days in Parika, many children skipped school in order to work. This practice led to many of them leaving school prematurely.
Few of the working children were able to read but many were able to write. The level at which their reading and writing skills were developed was questionable since no rigid assessment was made. Based on responses from many parents, there seem to be the added disincentive for children going to school owing to the non-appearance of teachers in some schools in the rural parts of Parika and its environs. As such, many parents did not send their children to school because they felt it was a waste of time. They elected to find work for them instead.
An immediate consequence of their poor academic development would be their inability to garner jobs that would provide adequate returns since they had no marketable skills. They further lacked the prerequisites to be properly trained in jobs which require numeracy and literacy skills. These children were prime candidates for the world of crime and misadventure unless interventions are made to change their circumstances.
Many of the children were exposed to constant sun and rain while executing their tasks. In addition, they had to lift heavy loads on a regular basis as part of their work. The consequences of this can be skeletal problems due to the inability of their young bodies to easily cope with such physical challenges.
87 The children generally had inadequate protection on the job. They suffered injuries such as burns, wounds and bruises on a regular basis. Eye infections, falls and fractures are other injuries these children sustained while working.
6.2 The families, schools and communities
The children were living in situations reflective of rural poverty. Few of them were in homes which had electricity and hence were not having access to the facilities associated with electrical power. They used mainly oil for lighting and cooking.
A lot of the custodians of the children were females who were not working. For the 133 working children, there were 79 instances whereby the father was found to be living in the home as against 100 instances for the mother. The burgeoning of single parent homes in Guyana is reflected in the situation in Parika and its environs.
This meant that there was pressure on the children to work in order to provide food for themselves and family. Those custodians who worked were able to earn mainly between G$501 and G$1000 per day. The working children generally earned G$1000 and less per day.
The schools and the communities were aware of the growing challenges provided by the presence of child labourers, but at the time of the survey no tangible project was afoot to deal with the situation. The facilities to deliver free education at the nursery, primary and secondary levels were in place but many children were not taking advantage of the situation.
The Muslim organisations and the churches in the area were the non-governmental organisations providing help to the working children. The provision of meals was the main type of help working children received from the charitable organizations.
6.3 Attitudes and expectations
Most of the 133 working children claimed to feel good when they worked. Those who said working is good numbered 18%. Working was not their idea claimed 16% while 8 % thought that working was harmful. Children who confessed that they would like to stop working totalled 53%. Support for their family was the reason given for working by 18% of the children.
The custodians, like parents everywhere, wanted the best for their children. However, most of them felt that if given the opportunity the children should leave the community. Such attitudes have negative impact on the future development of the communities since like in most of Guyana, people take the perceived easy way out of poverty by migrating to other areas.
88 6.4 Hazards faced by the working children
The working children faced many hazards such as:
? physical and sexual abuse ? accidents ? injuries on the job and on the streets ? poisoning and chemical exposure ? exploitation ? deprivation of education ? snake bites ? lost of limb ? death ? alcohol abuse ? drugs ? danger at sea ? bad influence by adults ? respiratory problems
They are prime candidates for contracting and spreading AIDS and other sexually- transmitted diseases. Many of them sleep on stalls in the Parika market, on the streets and on the waterfront with no protection from child molesters and the like.
6.5 The absorption of more children to schools and health facilities
Most of the school principals (69%) of the schools that the working children attended replied no when asked if their school can accommodate more children. There seems to be a situation where some amount of overcrowding is occurring in the schools in Parika and its environs. As such, any intervention programme must take this into consideration.
The working children of Parika and its environs attended 13 schools of which 6 were secondary, 6 were primary and 1 was a nursery school.
Unlike the schools, the medical facilities were adequate enough to accommodate more children. There were 5 such facilities which provided treatment to the working children.
6.6 The context within which the worst forms of child labour occurs
When asked their feelings about work, 81% of the children said they worked to support their family. Their custodians were too poor to adequately meet the children’s need for food and clothing. And in most cases it was the children’s idea to work. The working children generally thought that working was good. They were not aware of the negative impact of such activities on their social development. The children had a yearning to continue school but their circumstances did not allow them to.
89
As regards outside support, the religious organizations did try but it apparently was not enough to make a dramatic impact on the circumstances of the 133 working children. There was some amount of aid from the Government ministries but this too was not large enough to make much of an impact on the life of the working children.
The survey on child labour provides very detailed information on the circumstances of child labourers in Parika and its environs. From this research one has a better appreciation of the struggles all working children are faced with.
90 CHAPTER 7 Recommendations
According to the ILO document, “Development Of Indicators On Child Labour”18 by Robert Jensen, factors affecting child labour can be categorised into groups:
1. those internal to the household 2. and those external to the household
Household factors determine whether a child is made to work around the household or away from the household. The ILO document posits an economic model of the household which involves decisions regarding time allocation and investment in children as its core. It further stipulates that:
“Sending children to school is an investment that incurs costs in the present and yields benefits in the future. ……factors that affect either the desire or ability to invest in children’s education will affect school enrollment and child labour”.
The household level factors which affect child labour are:
? Income and wealth ? Income volatility ? Debt ? Family size and fertility ? Family structure and migration ? Parental perceptions, attitudes and aspirations
As regards income and wealth, if households do not have enough money to meet basic needs, children may be sent to work to earn additional money. Basic education is free in Guyana but there is an opportunity cost of sending children to school in addition to the cost of providing school materials. The former cost surrounds what the custodians have to give up in order that the children can go to school. For an impoverished household such opportunity costs may be unbearable hence the need for the children having to work.
Suffice to say that current investments in education would enhance the children’s ability to earn higher incomes in the future. However, in Guyana the capital market to finance education is not well developed whereby loans are provided against future earnings. At the tertiary level, notably at the University of Guyana, the Government provides student loans to students entering the university. Of note, even if the banks and other local institutions were to provide student loans many custodians would be unable to provide the collateral to access such loans.
18 http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/simpoc/jensen/contentpr.htm#03. 08 December 2004
91 Income volatility is an important factor facing economic activities in Parika and its environs. The seasonal nature of agricultural production means that at times there is very little work for persons involved in the production of vegetables, ground provisions and fruits. Bad weather and insect infection of crops do hamper the earnings of the workers. This spills over to other sectors of the economy in Parika and its environs and the effect is felt by other workers since the various sectors are interlinked. Poor harvests of fish at sea also have its consequences on the income of workers in the area.
Income shortfalls due to the volatility could lead to households incurring debt, especially from village money lenders or local merchants or craftsmen. Such debt could be a cause of child labour.
Poor households with many children end up providing less education for each child and may need to send their children to work in order to finance the household consumption. Large household sizes may result from the households’ inability to control their fertility. This latter issue is dealt with at the level of the health clinics whereby mothers are usually enrolled in family planning programmes. The challenge for these clinics in Guyana is to persuade more families to utilize family planning techniques to harness their fertility.
The effects of family structure and migration on child labour can be seen whereby the amount of work a child does is determined by whether their parents, siblings or other relatives work, both within the household and away from the household.
A major factor pertaining to child labour is the parents’ perceived returns to education, their attitudes towards schooling and their aspirations for their children’s future. According to the above-mentioned ILO document, the parents’ perceptions, attitudes and aspirations affect decisions about work and schooling:
“If parents don’t perceive that education yields returns, they won’t send their children to school. Parents may perceive that education yields little value, either because schools are low quality (bad teachers, no facilities or supplies) or because there is no visible evidence of the value of education in the village. Or they may not view the school curriculum as relevant to their children’s future, either because it does not teach them practical skills, or perhaps they prefer, for example, female children getting married early rather than have a career which requires education”.
Factors external to the household which affect child labour are:
? School’s access, relevance, quality and cost ? Production and demand for labour ? Social, economic and contextual factors
Access to schools, relevance, quality and cost influence the decision by parents on whether the child works or goes to school. A shortcoming in any of these dimensions could lead to children not going to school. Children would not be able to go to school if
92 there is no school nearby and they would be more likely to work. Parents will not see a value in sending their children to school if the quality of education is poor.
A major decision by a business is how much of the various inputs to use, including child labour. Other considerations involve the substitutability between different types of labour (child and adult) as well as the substitutability between labour and other inputs into production (for example, capital). In addition, concerns about the market conditions, productivity, and the existing state of the available production technology must be addressed. These production and demand issues would determine how many, if any, children are employed by the business.
The ILO document goes on to list the social, economic and contextual factors which affect child labour as follows:
? Cultural and societal attitudes towards children and work, for example; children are afforded little value or rights, child labour is not viewed as undesirable, or work is considered a part of socialization into society for young children. ? The non-enforcement of the legal rights of children, and even adult workers, at the national level. ? The global demand for products which are made using child labour, especially in light of increasing international trade and globalization. ? International pressure to comply with labour standards and regulations, foreign and international laws regarding the import of products made using child labour, and pressure from advocacy and interest groups. ? Conditional World Bank/IMF Adjustment Programmes which impose restrictions on social service expenditure can result in negative consequences for the households as regards their ability to send their children to school.
From the survey in Parika and its environs the significant household factors affecting child labour were associated with the income and wealth of the household. As mentioned above, when asked about their reasons for being absent from school last term, most of the working children said that “having to work” was the reason for their absence while the next most frequently cited reason was that “school was very expensive”. Strategies to rectify the child labour problem must take into consideration the economic circumstances of the households.
The approach to dealing with the child labour problem in Parika and its environs must be both of a short-term and long-term nature. A manifestation of the underlying structural economic problems is the presence of an unacceptable number of child labourers in the workforce. The initial efforts at eliminating child labour should be to focus on its worst forms and to improve the working conditions of the children while reducing both injuries and the severity of injuries in the workplace. Working children, whose lives are severely endangered by their jobs such as prostitution and drug trafficking, should be immediately withdrawn from those activities. Efforts should be made to reduce the hours of work, increase school attendance among the working children, and gradually move the children out of the workplace, without imposing too much financial hardship on their families.
93 Injuries and illnesses occur in the workplaces of Parika and its environs, but do not pose a crisis for immediate attention. Reducing the hours of work can mean more time for the children to spend on education and learning. The families of the working children can be provided with financial and material assistance to ease the impact of the children being withdrawn from the labour market.
Poor families can be targeted for small enterprise development projects whereby they are taught the essentials of creating and managing businesses for themselves. They can be given small credits and their activities properly supervised. Their successes can be made public for all to see and hence provide a catalyst for such programmes elsewhere. The growth of such activities country wide can have a tremendous impact on national development.
In Guyana, child labour is illegal for children of primary school age which has an upper limit of 15 years. Thereafter they can be involved in certain types of labour force activities which do not endanger their health. An additional approach is to enforce school enrolment rather than the minimum work age, since it is easier to monitor school attendance rather than check every factory and home to determine whether the children are working.
Child labour is a symptom of the harsh economic circumstances faced by poor families and it is a mechanism through which they cope with poverty. From a humane standpoint it is justifiable to address that symptom, namely the child labour phenomenon, but greater efforts must be placed on correcting the root causes which give rise to many children having to working. Boosting economic growth may be the only way to ensure a lasting sustainable impact on reducing the number of child labourers.
The ILO document, “Development Of Indicators On Child Labour”, notes that some persons are of the impression that:
“As long as poverty persists, removing children from certain …….. industries, though well-intentioned, may push them into even worse forms of child labour, such as prostitution. Further, households depend on the income from child labour, and the loss of this income could have adverse consequences, perhaps as bad as child labour itself in some cases. If poverty is a cause of low school enrollment, forcing children out of work will not mean that they will be able to afford schooling, and in fact may be less able to”.
The child labour situation in Parika and its environs evolved over time and as such, there is no quick fix solution to this issue. There is legislation to deal with working children. The Ministry of Labour has been very active in monitoring certain entities like sawmills in Parika and its environs. However, when the officials leave for Georgetown things go back to normal as regards the exploitation of children.
Any strategy to deal with child labour must get the cooperation of the wider community. It is the members of Parika and its environs who can most adequately monitor the activities of working children. For example, there was the distinct impression that
94 sawmill operators were forewarned of the presence of the survey enumerators as they approached these entities.
The members of the communities must be educated as to the dangers of child labour via public awareness programmes either by the Ministry of Labour or the non-governmental organizations like the churches and charitable bodies. These organizations must be encouraged to provide an aggressive programme of family planning and counselling to the disadvantaged families of the community. The heads of households must be made aware of their responsibilities towards their children as it pertains to their academic and social development. The writer agrees with some recommendations made by Dr. Danns on page 84 of his report (Danns, 2002). Such recommendations pertain to:
? Heightened public awareness on child labour
? Educating parents on their obligations
? Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Schools Welfare Service of the Ministry of Education
? Providing daily meals at schools for the children
? Providing school buses or school boats to take children to and from schools
Nevertheless, a major impetus to continued child labour is poverty. The political will must be there to deal with this issue. There is need for greater job creation in Parika and its environs, as in other parts of Guyana. One immediate recommendation would be for contractors who execute government-funded projects in Parika and its environs to hire individuals from the area when and where possible in order to boost the household income of families in the community.
In addition, custodians of the working children can be given grants in cash or kind to offset the household’s expenses that are related to the upkeep of the child or children. Such assistance can be tied to the school attendance of the working children.
Fiscal incentives can be provided to businesses to expand their activities in areas like Parika in an effort to eliminate child labour. Since Parika’s economy is agriculture based, the establishment of a canning industry can be encouraged. Employment of local people can be stipulated as one condition for government assistance for such projects.
In addition, there is the need for the state, by way of the appropriate ministries, to garner markets for the produce of such enterprises since the operators of infant companies most times do not have the skills to market their product, especially on the foreign market. The overall impact in a community like Parika would be an increase in jobs and higher standards of living for the inhabitants. As such, there would be lesser pressure on custodians to have their children involved in child labour activities.
95 If successful, such government intervention can have tremendous multiplier effects on the local economies. A successful canning business linked to exports to the Caricom and other international markets can boost the production in fruits, vegetables and sea-foods not only in Parika, but in the surrounding villages which also have elements of child labour activities and high levels of poverty.
In order to gauge the phenomenon of child labour from a national perspective, there is the need to execute a national survey. The data from such an exercise would highlight the communities in Guyana which have the highest incidence of the worst forms child labour. As in Parika, intervention strategies can then be developed to tackle the situation.
96 References
1. Anker R. (1995): “Labour Market Policies, Vulnerable Groups and Poverty in Fingueira”, in Reducing Poverty through Labour Market Policies, J. Z. Shaheed, (ed.) (Geneva, ILO, International Institute for Labour Studies). 2. Badwala Mitesh (1998): “Child Labour in India: Causes, Government Policies and the Role of Education”, in Child Labour Inquiry, India, Elebee Marketing Inc, New Delhi, India. 3. Bequele A. & Myers W. (1995): First Things First in Child Labour: Eliminating work detrimental to Children (UNICEF/ILO, Geneva). 4. Bureau of Statistics (2001): Guyana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 5. Bureau of Statistics: Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES), 1992/93. 6. Conrad E & Maul T (1981): Introduction to Experimental Psychology, John Wiley & Sons. 7. Danns G. (2003): The Situation of Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour: A Rapid Assessment (Guyana), Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, International Labour Office. 8. Fernival John S. (1976): A study of plural economies, Netherlands Book Inc. 9. Gootaert C. & Kanbar R. (1995): “Child Labour: An Economic Perspective”, in International Labour Review (Geneva, ILO Vol. 134, No. 2). 10. Hagedorn Robert (1990): Sociology, 4th edition, Holt Rhinehart & Winston Ltd. 11. Hussmanns R., Mehran F. & Verna V. (1990): Surveys of economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment: An ILO manual on concepts and methods, Geneva, International Labour Office. 12. International Labour Organisation (August 1996): Finding out about child labour, in commercial agriculture in Africa, IPEC Report. 13. International Labour Organisation (2004): Investing in every child 14. Jacobsen et al (1981): Methods of Teaching: A Skills Approach, Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. 15. Mehra – Kerpelman K. (1996): “Children at Work: How many and Where?” in World of Work, Chaukhambha Publication News, Delhi, India. 16. Nagia P. (1987): Child Labour Cause-Effective Syndrome, New Delhi, Janak Publishers. 17. The Human Right Watch (1996, Vol.17). 18. UNDP (1999): Guyana: Report of the 1999 Living Conditions Survey
97 98 ANNEX 1: Selected socio-economic indicators for Guyana
99 100
ANNEX 2: Questionnaire for children and adolescents
C HILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS C GUYANA QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE PLACE OF WORK
101. SETTING 102. NAME OF WORKPLACE ______PARIKA MARKET ? WORKPLACE CODE ______PARIKA MAIN ROAD ______? PARIKA WHARF 103. ADDRESS For official use PARIKA BACK OF WORKPLACE OTHER: ______(Specify) ______
MAIN ACTIVITY MAIN ACTIVITY CODE ______? ______For official use
PARENT/GUARDIAN’S PARENT/GUARDIAN’S NAME ______CODE ? ?? PARENT/GUARDIAN’S For official use ______ADDRESS: CHILD’S CODE CHILD’S NAME : ? ?? CHILD’S ADDRESS (IF DIFFERENT): For official use
INTERVIEW AND SUPERVISION 104. NAME OF INTERVIEWER
105. NAME OF SUPERVISOR
106. INTERVIEW 107. 108. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS VISITS DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
1. Agriculture Codes for 2. Fishing Main Activity 3. loading 4. Vending 5. Other: (Specify) ______Result of Interview
101 1. Completed (children and parent or guardian interviewed) 2. Absent (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or guardian was not found) 3. Rejected (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or guardian did not agree to the interview) 4. Other ______(Specify) SECTION 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKING CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS Enumerator, note that the information relating to Education and Work is for the period 19th April to the 2nd July 2004 which is referred to as the “last term” of the school year. 201. FULL NAME:
202a. SEX 1. MALE 2. FEMALE 216. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE SCHOOL ? YOU ATTENDED LAST TERM OR USED TO 202b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU ATTEND? BELONG? ? 1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian ______4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______203. WHAT IS YOUR DATE OF BIRTH? dd mm yr Note day, month and year 217. WHERE IS THIS SCHOOL LOCATED? Code dd=0, mm=0 a nd yr=0 if D.O.B. not known ______Ask Q204 if date of birth is not known 204. WHAT IS YOUR AGE? ? ?
II. CHILD LABOUR 205. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 218. GENERALLY, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES DID YOU DO LAST
TERM? (If more than one, select the main one) ? 1.In this village/ward 2.In another village/ward in this region ? Type 3.In another region 4.In another 1. Agriculture 2. Fishing 3. loading 4. Shop Asst country______5. Vending 6. Other: (Specify) ______?
For official Type (Describe Activity): ______use I. EDUCATION NOTE: Q 219-232 should be referred to 206. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO READ? the activity indicated in Q. 218. 1. YES 2. NO ? 219. GENERALLY, HOW DID YOU GO TO 207. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO WRITE? ? 1. YES 2. NO ? WORK LAST TERM? 1. Walk 2. Bicycle 3. Private car or vehicle 208 DID YOU ATTEND SCHOOL LAST TERM? 4. Boat 5. Motor cycle 6. Company car or vehicle ? 7. Public transport 8. Hired transport(Taxi) 1. YES (>> 211) 2. NO (minibus) 9. Other: (Specify) : ______209 WHY DID YOU NOT ATTEND SCHOOL ? ? ? 220. IN GENERAL, WHICH DAYS OF THE ? ? ? LAST TERM? ? ? ? WEEK DID YOU WORK IN THIS ACTIVITY? ? ? ? 1. Very expensive 6. No desire or interest ? ? ? ? 2 There is no school nearby 7. Lack of documents 1.SUN 2.MON 3.TUE 4.WED 5.THU 6.FRI 7.SAT 3. Ill health or disability 8. Other(Specify): ______4. Expelled 5. Had to Work 9. Not Stated
210. HOW LONG AGO DID YOU LEAVE 221. IN WHICH MONTHS OF THE YEAR DID ? ? ? SCHOOL? ? YOU WORK IN THIS ACTIVITY? ? ? ? 1. Less than 1 year 3. More than 2 years 1.JAN 2.FEB 3.MAR 4.APR 5.MAY 6.JUNE 7.JULY ? ? ? 8.AUG 9.SEPT 10.OCT 11.NOV 12.DEC 2. Between 1 and 2 years 4. Never attended (>> 218) ? ? ?
102 211. WHAT TIME OF DAY DID YOU ATTEND
OR USED TO ATTEND SCHOOL? ? ? ? 222. IN GENERAL, HOW MANY HOURS A 1. Morning 2. Night DAY DID YOU WORK DURING LAST TERM? 3. Afternoon 4. Morning & Afternoon 5. Weekends 6. Not Stated 212. WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOL OR 223. IN GENERAL, HOW DO YOU WORK? EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION DID YOU 1. In the morning 2.In the afternoon 3.In the ? ATTEND LAST TERM OR USED TO ATTEND? 4. Morning & afternoon 5.Morning & night night 1. Nursery/Kindergarten 7. Technical Institutes 6.Afternoon & night 2. Primary 8. Adult Education 7. Morning, afternoon & night 3. Secondary/Sec.Dept of 9. University/Tertiary ? ? 224. GENERALLY, DID YOUR WORK INVOLVE Mark with Pr Sch/Comm. High Sch 10. Other THE FOLLOWING? X 4. Post Secondary ______1. Lifting heavy bundles 1. 5. Special School (Specify) 2. Using dangerous tools 6. Vocational School 11. Not Stated 2. 3. Mixing chemicals 4. Working in the sun or rain 3. 213. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST GRADE OR YEAR 5.Being exposed to animals and insects OF SCHOOLING YOU HAVE COMPLETED? 6. Other: (Specify) ______4. 1. None/Nursery 7. Form 1 14. If PostSecnd/ 5. /Kindergarten 8. Form 2 Tertiary/University, ? ? 2. Preparatory A&B 9. Form 3 write No. of Years 6. 3. Standard One 10. Form 4 225. FOR WHOM DID YOU WORK? 4. Standard Two 11. Form 5 1. Worked for self (>>227) 5. Standard Three 12. Form 6 Tick if Not stated 2. Employer (Someone hired him/her) 6. Standard Four 13. Not Stated ? 3. Family member or other person without receiving
payment (>>229) ? 214. HAVE YOU EVER REPEATED A GRADE OR 226. HOW DID THEY PAY YOU FOR YOUR YEAR? ? WORK? 1. YES 2. NO (>> 216) 215. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU REPEATED 1. Cash money 2. Some products ? A GRADE OR YEAR? ? 3. Cash money and products
4. They did not pay me (>>229)
227. HOW MUCH WERE YOU PAID OR EARNED G$ Occupational History PER DAY? (VALUE THE PRODUCTS, IF ANY) ? ? ? ? 236. WHAT JOB OR ACTIVITY WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU FIRST BEGAN TO WORK? 228. TO WHOM DID YOU GIVE THE MONEY 1. Agriculture 2. Taking care of animals /PRODUCT THAT YOU EARNED? 3. Manufacturing 4. Selling 5. Construction ? ?
6. Loading 7. Shop Asst, 8. Domestic Work 1. Keep it for myself 2. Give all to my family 9. Other (Specify) ______3. Some for me the rest for my family Type ? 4. Other: (Specify) ______Type: ______?
229. DID YOU USE ANY TYPE OF 237. AT WHAT AGE DID YOU BEGIN TO PROTECTION IN YOUR WORK? WORK? Include one or more choices ? ? ? ? 1. Uses no protection 2. Special Footwear 3. Protective ? ? III. PARTICIPATION IN OTHER ACTIVITIES 4. Masks 5. Gloves helmet ? ? 6. Safety glasses 7. Earplugs N 8. Other______? ? 238.IN YOUR HOUSE DO YOU: YES (Specify) O 230. IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS HAVE YOU 1. Take care of younger brothers and sisters? 1 2 SUFFERED FROM ANY WORK-RELATED 2. Fetch water? 1 2 ILLNESS OR INJURY? 3. Collect or look for firewood? 1 2
103 1. Yes, once 3. Yes, always or almost always 4. Wash clothes or other personal belongings? 1 2 2. Yes, some times 4. No (>> 232) ? 5. Clean the house? 1 2 6. Cook? 1 2 7. Other? (Specify) 1 2
231. WHAT WERE THE WORK-RELATED 239.YOU DO YOUR SCHOOL WORK OR YES N0 ILLNESSES OR INJURIES? ASSIGNMENTS: ?
1. Falls/fractures 1 2 1. Always? 3. Never? 2. Sometimes? 4. Don’t attend school? 2. Eye infection 1 2 3. Skin problems 1 2 240. DO YOU PLAY: 4. Burns, wounds, bruises 1 2 1. Always? ? 5. Respiratory infections (Breathing problems) 1 2 2. Sometimes? 3. Never? 6. Ear infections 1 2 7. Diarrhea/vomiting 1 2 241. DO YOU WATCH TELEVISION? 1. Always? 8. Body pains 1 2 2. Sometimes ? 3. Never? 9. Fever, flu or cold 1 2 242. DO YOU PLAY ANY SPORT? 10. Head ache 1 2 1. Always? ? 11. Other______2. Sometimes? 1 2 (Specify) 3. Never? 232. WHEN YOU ARE SICK OR HAVE AN 243. DO YOU GO OUT WITH MALE AND ACCIDENT, WHERE DO YOU GO MOST OFTEN FEMALE FRIENDS? FOR HELP? 1. Always? 2. Sometimes? 1. Nowhere 4. Clinic ? 3. Never? ? 2. Health Centre 5. Traditional medicine 3. Hospital 6. Other ______(Specify) Secondary Activity 233. APART FROM WORKING IN THIS ACTIVITY, 244. DO YOU DISCUSS THINGS WITH YOUR DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER JOB? ? FAMILY? ? 1. Yes 2. No (>> 236) 1. Always? 2. Sometimes?
3. Never? 234. WHAT OTHER ACTIVITY WAS IT? (If more than one, select the most important one) Health
1. Agriculture 2. Taking care of animals 3. Manufacturing ? ? 245. DO YOU SMOKE? 4. Selling 5. Construction 6. Loading 7. Shop Asst, 1. YES 2. NO ? 8. Domestic Work 9. Other (Specify) ______Type ? 246. DO YOU DRINK ALCOHOL? ? Type: ______For official 1. YES 2. NO use (ONLY ADOLESCENTS) ? 235. WHERE DID YOU DO THIS WORK?
1. Workshop 5. Store/sales booth 247. DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN? 2. Street 6. Home ? 3. Farm 7. Other ______1. YES 2. NO (>> 249) 4.Market (Specify) (ONLY ADOLESCENTS) ? 248. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE?
104 249 DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL DISABILITY? ? 1. YES 2. NO
For If “Yes”, Specify: ______offici al use ?
IV. HELP FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 250. OUTSIDE OF THE HOME, DO YOU RECEIVE 252. WHAT TYPE OF HELP DO YOU SUPPORT OR HELP FROM ANY ORGANIZATION? GET? ? ? 1. Meals/nutrition 2. Medical ? ? 1. YES 2. NO (>> 254) 3. DON’T KNOW(>> 254) ? 3. Education ? 4. Recreation 5. Other 251a FROM WHICH OGANIZATIONS/INSTITUT-IONS? 253. HOW OFTEN DO YOU RECEIVE 1. Government (Social welfare) ? ? HELP? 2. Insurance 1. Weekly 3. Church (Religious institution) ? ? 2. Fortnightly 4. NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) ? ? 3. Monthly ? 5. Other (Specify)______4. Yearly 5. Other 6. Don’t Know (>> 252) 6. Don’t Know 251b STATE THE NAMES OF THE OGANIZATIONS/ ? ? INSTITUTIONS? ? ? 1. ______? 2. ______3. ______4. ______5. Don’t Know (>> 252)
V. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOME 254. IN YES NO 256. DO YOU HAVE BROTHERS OR SISTERS LESS THAN YOUR 18 WHO LIVE WITH YOU AND ALSO WORK? ? HOME YOU 1. YES 2. NO (>> 258) LIVE WITH:
1. Father? 1 2
2. Mother? 1 2 257. WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES?: 3. 1 2 1. No. of Siblings Brothers, Under 18 sisters? ? ? 4. Grand 1 2 2. fathers, grand mothers? 5. Other 1 2 3. family? 6. Other 1 2 4. non- 5. family? 6.
105 255. 258. DOES THE PERSON WHO TAKES CARE OF YOU, HOW ? ? THAT IS, FATHER, MOTHER OR GUARDIAN, ALSO ? MANY WORK? PEOPLE LIVE 1. YES 2. NO 3. DON’T KNOW IN YOUR HOME?
VI. ATTITUDES, EXPECTATIONS AND FEELINGS 259. ABOUT CHILD LABOR Yes No 1. Do you feel good when you work? 1 2
2. When you work, do you have time to play with your friends? 1 2
3. Do you work to support your family with some money? 1 2
4. Would you like to stop working? 1 2
5. Doing what you do at work, is it harmful? 1 2
6. Is work good, because you make some money? 1 2
7. Was working your own idea? 1 2
260. ABOUT SCHOOL Yes No 1. Do you like or would you like to go to school? 1 2
2. Do you think going to school is boring? 1 2
3. Would you like to continue studying? 1 2
4. Do school teachers treat you badly in school? 1 2
5. Is going to school better than working? 1 2
6. Do some of the children in this community do not go to school because it is far away? 1 2
7. Do some of the children in this community do not go to school because there is no space in the school? 1 2
8. Do some of the children in this community do not go to school because it is very expensive? 1 2
261. ABOUT FEELINGS in the context of work) Yes No Yes No
1. Are you always hungry? 1 2 5. Are you always tired? 1 2
2. Are you always lonely? 1 2 6. Are you always frightened? 1 2
3. Are you always sleepy? 1 2 7. Are you always angry? 1 2
4. Are you always happy? 1 2 8. Are you always in pain? 1 2
106 262. WHAT ARE THE FULL NAMES OF THE PERSON WHO TAKE CARE OF YOU, THAT IS, FATHER/STEPFATHER, MOTHER/STEPMOTHER OR GUARDIAN?
1. FATHER ______2. MOTHER ______3. GUARDIAN ______4. SELF (>> 264)______
263. WHEN YOUR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS ARE NOT AROUND, WHO TAKES CARE OF YOU?
1. Bigger brother/sister/Neighbour ? 2. Relative 3. Other (specify):______
264. WHAT IS YOUR HOME ADDRESS?
Village/Ward: ?? Region: ? ? ______
Reference point (or description) to locate the house: ______
OBSERVATIONS:
______
107 108
Annex 3: Questionnaire for heads of household
International Labour Organization International Programme for the Eradication of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA QUESTIONNAIRE FOR HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD OF BGA WHO WORK P SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE WORKPLACE OF THE BGA’S 101. SETTING 102. PARENT OR GUARDIAN’S CODE 6. PARIKA MARKET For official use 7. PARIKA MAIN ROAD ? ?? 8. PARIKA WHARF 9. PARIKA BACK 10. OTHER(Specify): ______For official use 103. CHILDREN’S NAME SETTING CODE 1. ______? ? ? ? 2. ______? ? ? ? 3. ______? ? ? ? 4. ______? ? ? ? 5. ______? ? ? ? 6. ______? ? ? ? 7. ______? ? ? ? 9. ______? ? ? ? 10 ______? ? ? ?
PARENTS’ NAME: PARENTS’ ADDRESS:
INTERVIEW AND SUPERVISION 104. NAME OF INTERVIEWER 105. NAME OF SUPERVISOR 106. INTERVIEW 107. 108. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS VISITS DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
109
Result of Interview 4. Completed (children and parent or guardian interviewed) 5. Absent (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or guardian was not found) 6. Rejected (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or guardian did not agree to the interview) 4. Other ______(Specify)
SECTION 2: IDENTIFICATION OF BGA AND HOME ADDRESS
201. NAME OF BGA 202. NAME AND SURNAME OF FATHER, MOTHER OR GUARDIAN (that is, the person responsible for the child) 203. VILLAGE/WARD 204. POINT OF REFERENCE (DESCRIPTION) TO LOCATE ______DEWELLING
SECTION 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMANT
301. NAME OF INFORMANT______
302. SEX 304. FAMILY RELATIONSHIP TO BGA
1. Male 2. Female 1. Father 7. Uncle/Aunt 2. Mother 8. Other
relative______If lives by himself/herself, Go to Q401. ? 3. Stepfather (Specify) 4. Stepmother ? 5. Brother/Sister 9. Other non- relative______6. Grandfather/Grandmother (Specify)
110 SECTION 4: CHARACTERISTICS OF DWELLING AND HOME 401. THE TYPE OF DWELLING IN WHICH YOU ? ? 408. HOW IS WATER PROVIDED TO YOUR LIVE IS: DWELLING? SELECT THE MAIN SOURCE. 1. Piped into the dwelling ? ? 2. Piped into yard 1. Undivided private house? 3. Public standpipe 2. Improvised? 4. Tube-well/Borehole with pump 3. Apartment/flat/condominium? 5. Dug well 4. Room in tenement? 6. Spring 5. Room in a house/part of a private house? 7. Pond, river, stream 6. Townhouse 8. Vendor/Private supplier 7. Double house/duplex 9. Rain water (stored in tanks etc) 8. Combined business and dwelling 10. Tank truck (public) 9. Barracks 11. 10. Other? ______Other______(Specify) (Specify) 402. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE OUTER 409a. HOW MANY HOUSEHOLDS ARE WALLS OF YOUR DWELLING IS: THERE IN THIS DWELLING? (Consider ? Households to be where the members share ? ? 1. Wood? 6. Metal? a common budget) 2. Concrete? 7. Straw or palm leaf? 409b. HOW MANY PEOPLE PERMANENTLY 3. Wood and Concrete? 8. Claybrick LIVE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD? 4. Adobe (Mud or sun-dried bricks)? 9. Other ? 5. Makeshift? materials?______(Specify)
403. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE ROOF OF 410. WITHOUT COUNTING THE THE DWELLING IS: BATHROOM, KITCHEN OR CORRIDOR, ? HOW MANY ROOMS ARE EXCLUSIVELY ? 1. Sheet metal (zinc, aluminum, galvanize)? 2. Shingle USED BY THE HOUSEHOLD? (asphalt)? 3. Shingle (Wood)? 4. Shingle (Other)? 5. Tile?
6. Concrete? 7. Thatched/troolie palm? 8. 411. DOES THIS DWELLING HAS Makeshift? ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS N 9. Other materials?______YES O (Specify) IN WORKING CONDITION?
NOT STATED 404. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE FLOOR OF 1 2 3 1. Radio/Stereo? YOUR DWELLING IS: ? 1 2 3 2. Private vehicle?
1. Concrete? 2. Earth? 3. Concrete and wood? 1 2 3 4. Tile or brick? 5. Wood? 6. Other materials? 3. Television? ______3 (specify) 4. Video cassette recorder or DVD 1 2 player?
5. Personal Computer? 1 2 3
405. THE FORM OF TENANCY FOR THE 6. Internet Connection? 1 2 3 DWELLING IN WHICH YOU LIVE IS: 7. Refrigerador/freezer? 1 2 3 1. Rented? 2. Rent free 3. Squatted? 4. Owned and totally paid? 5. Leased? ? 8. Washing machine? 1 2 3 6. Owned and mortgaged?
7. Other?______1 2 3 (Specify) 9. Gas Stove? 10. Microwave oven? 1 2 3
111 11. Telephone? 1 2 3
12. Cellular Telephone? 1 2 3 406. WHAT TYPE OF LIGHTING DOES THE DWELLING HAVE? 1 2 3 13. Water pump?
1. Public electricity (Distribution Co.-GPL) ? 3 2. Own electricity (generator). 14. Bicycle or motorbike for household 1 2 3. Kerosene, diesel, gasolene 4. Other______use? (Specify)
15. Electrical generator? 1 2 3
16. Blender? 1 2 3
17. Sewing machine? 1 2 3
18. Electric iron? 1 2 3
1 2 3 19. Electric fan? 407. WHAT TYPE OF TOILET FACILITIES DOES THE QUESTIONS IN SECTION 5 MUST BE THE DWELLING HAVE? DIRECTED TO THE FATHER AS MUCH AS TO THE MOTHER OF THE BOY, GIRL OR TEENAGER WHO 1. Connected to a sewer line 2. Sceptic Tank ? WORKS. IF NEITHER OF THE PARENTS LIVE IN 3. Hole or latrine for common use THE HOME, INDICATE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 4. Hole or latrine for private use THE BGA AND APPLY THE QUESTIONS OF 5. It does not have any SECTION 5 TO THE CORRESPONDING COLUMN.
SECTION 5: CHARACTERISTCS OF THE FATHER, MOTHER OR GUARDIAN OF THE BGA. IF CHILD LIVES BY HIMSELF/HERSELF, HE/SHE WOULD ANSWER QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE FATHER AND MOTHER.
FATHER/STEP MOTHER/STEP GUARDIAN FATHER MOTHER 501. NAME AND SURNAME ______
______
502a. SEX 1. Male 2. Female
Indicate the sex of the guardian. ? ? ?
502b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU (HE/SHE) BELONG?
1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian ? ? ? 4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______
112 503. DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) LIVE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD? ? ? ?
1. Yes (>> 505) 2. No 3. Don’t know/not stated 504. WHY DON’T YOU (HE/SHE) LIVE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD?
1. Live abroad 5. Other______2. Left the home (Specify) ? ? ? 3. Deceased 6. Don’t know/not stated 4. Imprisoned
505. WHAT IS YOUR (HIS/HER) AGE IN YEARS? ? ?? ? ?? ? ?? Enter 999 if age not known 506. WHERE WERE (WAS) YOU (HE/SHE) BORN? ? ? ?
1. In this village/ward 2. In another village/ward in this region 3. In another region 4. In another country 5. Don’t know/not stated 507. IN WHAT VILLAGE/WARD DID YOU (HE/SHE) LIVE ONE YEAR AGO? 1. In this Village/Ward(>>509) 2. In another Village/Ward of this Region ? ? ? 3. In another Region 4. In another country 5. Don’t know/not stated (>>509) 6. Not applicable (>>509 508. WHY DID YOU (HE/SHE) MOVE FROM THE VILLAGE/WARD IN WHICH YOU (HE/SHE) LIVED ONE YEAR AGO? 1. Work 5. Family reasons ? ? ? 2. Studies 6. Looking for security 3. Marriage 7. Financial reasons 4. Marital 8. Other______separation (Specify) 9. Don’t know/not stated 509. IN WHAT REGION DID YOU (HE/SHE) LIVE FIVE YEARS AGO? 1. In this Region (>>511) 2. In another region 3. In another country 4. Don’t know/not stated (>>511) ? ? ? 5. Not applicable (>>511) 510. WHY DID YOU (HE/SHE) MOVE FROM THE REGION IN WHICH YOU (HE/SHE) LIVED FIVE YEARS AGO? 1. Work 5. Family reasons ? ? ? 2. Studies 6. Looking for security 3. Marriage 7. Financial reasons 4. Marital separation 8. Other ______9. Don’t know/not stated (Specify)
SECTION 5: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FATHER, MOTHER OR GUARDIAN OF THE BGA FATHER/STEP MOTHER/STEP GUARDIAN FATHER MOTHER I. EDUCATION 511 511 511 511. CAN YOU (HE/SHE) READ? ? ? ? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Don’t know/not stated
113 512. CAN YOU (HE/SHE) WRITE? 512 512 512
1. Yes 2. No 3. Don’t know/not stated ? ? ? 513. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST GRADE OR YEAR OF SCHOOLING YOU (HE/SHE) HAVE (HAS) COMPLETED?
1. None/Nursery 7. Form 1 14. If Post Secondary/ ? ? ? ? ? ? /Kindergarten 8. Form 2 Tertiary/University, 2. Preparatory A&B 9. Form 3 write No. of Years 3. Standard One 10. Form 4 4. Standard Two 11. Form 5 5. Standard Three 12. Form 6 6. Standard Four 13. Not Stated Tick if yrs Not Stated ? 15. Don’t know/not stated 514. HAVE YOU (HE/SHE) RECEIVED TRAINING FOR A SPECIFIC OCCUPATION OR PROFESSION IN THE LAST TWO YEARS? ? ? ? 1. Yes 2. No (>>516) 3. Don’t know/not stated (>>516) 515. INDICATE THE TRAINING RECEIVED ? ? ? 1.______? ? ? 2.______? ? ? 3.______516. WHAT IS YOUR (HIS/HER) CIVIL OR MARITAL STATUS? ? ? ? 1. Common-law 4. Divorced 2. Married 5. Widowed 3. Separated 6. Single 7. Don’t know/not stated II. EMPLOYMENT 517. LAST WEEK, DID YOU (HE/SHE) ENGAGE IN ? ? ? EMPLOYMENT/ACTIVITY FOR WHICH YOU (HE/SHE) RECEIVED MONEY OR GOODS IN KIND?
1. Yes (>>519) 2. No 3. Don’t know/not stated 518. IF YOU (HE/SHE) DO(ES) NOT WORK, THEN HOW DO(ES)
YOU (HE/SHE) SPEND YOUR (HIS/HER) TIME?
? ? ? 1. Looking for work 2. Performed home duties 3.Attend training or education sessions Proceed to 526 4.At home, disabled & unable to work 5.Retired or pensioner 6. Other activities______(Specify)
7. Don’t know/not stated 519. WHAT IS THE MAIN ACTIVITY IN THIS JOB?
1. Farming 2. Manufacturing ? ? ? 3. Transport 4. Trade 5. Other (Specify):______6. Don’t know/Not stated Type ? Type (Describe the activity selected above): ______For official use
114 520. WHAT DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) WORK AS?
1. Travelling vendor 4. Supermarket packer ? ? ? 2. Vendor with a fixed location 5. Mini-bus conductor 3. Loader in______6. Other ______7. Don’t know/Not stated (Specify) 521. IN THIS JOB YOU (HE/SHE) ARE (IS)?
1. Employer or Boss? 5. Non-payed family worker?
2. Self-employed? 6. Domestic service? ? ? ? 3. Permanent employee? 7. Other?______
4. Temporary employee? (Specify)
522. GENERALLY, HOW MANY HOURS DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) ? ? ? ? ? ? WORK ON A WEEKLY BASIS?
SECTION 5: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FATHER, MOTHER OR GUARDIAN OF THE BGA FATHER/STEP MOTHER/ GUARDIAN FATHER STEP MOTHER 523. WHAT ARE THE DAILY EARNINGS THAT YOU (HE/SHE) G$ G$ G$ RECEIVE IN THIS JOB? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? Indicate the information in G$ Enter 9999 for “Don’t know/not stated”
524. IN ADDITION TO THIS JOB, DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) HAVE ANOTHER JOB? ? ? ?
1. Yes 2. No (>>526) 3. Don’t know/not stated (>>526)
525 WHAT IS THE MAIN ACTIVITY IN THIS OTHER JOB? ? 1. Farming 2. Manufacturing
3. Transport 4. Trade Type 5. Other (Specify):______6. Don’t know/Not stated ? ? ? Type (Describe the activity selected above): ______For official use III. COMMUNITY LIFE 526. DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) TAKE PART IN ANY COMMUNITY GROUP? ? ? ?
1. Yes 2. No (>>528) 3. Don’t know/not stated (>>528)
115 527. IN WHAT GROUP DO(ES) YOU (HE/SHE) TAKE PART?
1. Social club 5. Church 2. Civic club 6. Water committee 3. Sports club 7. Other ______? ? ? 4. Neighbourhood council (Specify) 8. Don’t know/not stated
IV. EXPECTATIONS 528. WHAT IS YOUR (HIS/HER) MOST URGENT NEED IN ORDER TO IMPROVE YOUR (HIS/HER) POSITION IN LIFE?
1. Dwelling 4. Employment 2.Health 5. Other ______? ? ? 3.Education (Specify) 6. Don’t know/not stated 529. IF YOU (HE/SHE) WERE TO CHOOSE, WOULD YOU (HE/SHE) PREFER A JOB THAT IS:
1. Individual? 2. Organized with other persons? ? ? ? 3. Don’t know/not stated 530. IF YOU HAD ACCESS TO CREDIT, HOW WOULD YOU (HE/SHE) SPEND IT?
1. Business 6. Travel ? ? ?
2. Creation of a micro-enterprise 7. It doesn’t matter to me
3. Buy a dwelling 8. Other______
4. Educate your children (Specify)
5. Home furnishings 9. Don’t know/not stated
531. HAVE (HAS) YOU (HE/SHE) EVER WORKED AS AN INDEPENDENT OR SELF-EMPLOYED WORKER? ? ? ? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Don’t know/not stated
116
SECTION 6: CHARACTERISTICS OF BGA’S LESS THAN 18 YEARS OLD
INTERVIEWER: Explain to the interviewee (Father, Mother or Guardian) that in this Section information will be collected on their sons and daughters who are less than 18 years old (including the new-born) and other BGA’s who live in the household permanently. Use one line for each one separately. If the child lives alone skip to Section 8
For Question 611, record all given responses on the line, for example, if eye and ear infections are given, record 2 and 6.
Nº 601 602 603 604 605
WHAT ARE THE SEX? WHAT IS YOUR AGE? DID HE/SHE NAMES OF PERSONS RELATIONSHIP (IN COMPLETED YEARS) GO TO SCHOOL WHO ARE LESS TO THE BGA? DURING THE LAST THAN 18 YEARS IF AGE BELOW 5 YEARS, SCHOOL TERM? ND LIVE CONCLUDE FOR THIS PERMANENTLY CHILD IN THIS H/HOLD? 1. Male. 1. Father 1. Yes 2. Mother (>>607) 2. Female 3. Stepfather 4. Stepmother 2. No 5. Brother/Sister 6. Grandfather/ 3. Don’t know/not stated Grandmother (>>607) 7. Uncle/Aunt 8. Other relative ______(Specify) 9. Other non- relative ______(Specify) 10. Don’t know/not stated 1 2 ETC
Nº 606 607 608 609
WHY HE/SHE DID NOT DID HE/SHE WORK DURING WHAT TYPE OF WORK HOW MUCH DID GO TO SCHOOL DURING THE LAST SCHOOL TERM? DID HE/SHE DO? HE/SHE EARN DAILY? THE LAST SCHOOL TERM? In G$ 1. Travelling vendor 1. Very expensive 1. Yes 2. Vendor with a fixed If he/she only helps his/her 2. No convenient location parents mark “0” and primary or 2. No 3. Loader ______proceed to 611 secondary school 4. Supermarket Packer nearby 3. Don’t know/not stated 5. Car washer/shiner Enter 9999 for “Don’t 117
3. Disease or 6. Other______know/not stated” disability (Specify) and proceed to 611 4. Work If “No” or “Don’t know/not stated”, 7. Don’t know/not stated 5. Doesn’t want to, conclude and continue in Section 7 not interested for persons going to school 6. Parents do not Indicate the response allow in the box. 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/not Next to the box describe stated the type of activity.
Type
1 ? ?
2 ? ?
ETC ? ?
Nº 610 611
WHO DID HE/SHE GAVE WHAT TYPE OF INJURY HIS/HER EARNINGS? OR DISEASE HAS HE/SHE SUFFERED ON THE JOB? 1. Keep it for himself/herself 1. Falls/fractures 2. Give all to 2. Eye infection my family 3. Skin problems 3. Some for him/her 4. Burns, wounds, the rest for bruises my family 5. Respiratory 4. Other: (Specify) ______infections 5. Don’t know/not stated (Breathing problems) 6. Ear infections 7. Diarrhea/ vomiting 8. Body pains 9. Fever, flu or cold 10. Head ache 11. None 12. Other ______(Specify) 13. Don’t know/not stated 1 2
ETC
ENUMERATOR: Before beginning Section 7, explain to the interviewee that you are about to read some sentences. If the person agrees with the statement, they should say YES, and if they do not agree, they should say NO.
118
SECTION 7: ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS REGARDING THE BGA
Y N E 701. EXPECTATIONS ON CHILDHOOD AND CHILD LABOUR O S
NOT STATED 1. My children have worked since they were small because it will provide them with better opportunities for the 1 2 3 future 2. When they grow up, I would like my children to have different jobs than what they have now 1 2 3
3. Boys, Girls and Teenagers who work demonstrate a better sense of responsibility 1 2 3
4. My children have had to work since they were small, just like myself and the rest of my family 1 2 3
5. If given the opportunity, my children should leave this community7 when they grow up 1 2 3
Y N 702. THOUGHTS ABOUT SCHOOL E
O NOT S STATED
1. Children and teenagers learn useful things at school 1 2 3
2. Children and teenagers learn more at home than at school 1 2 3
3. The poor quality of education makes children and teenagers stop going to school 1 2 3
4. What children and teenagers learn at school is more important than what they learn at home 1 2 3
5. In this area, the school does not provide proper instruction for the children and teenagers 1 2 3
SECTION 8: HELP FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 801. OUTSIDE OF THE HOME, DO YOU RECEIVE 803. WHAT TYPE OF HELP DO YOU GET? SUPPORT OR HELP FROM ANY ORGANIZATION? 6. Meals/nutrition ? ? 7. Medical 8. Education 1. YES ? ? 9. Recreation 2. NO (Conclude Interview) ? ? 10. Other (Specify) 3. DON’T KNOW (Conclude Interview) 802a FROM WHICH OGANIZATIONS/INSTITUT- 804. HOW OFTEN DO YOU RECEIVE HELP? 7. Weekly IONS? ? ? 1. Government (Social welfare) 8. Fortnightly 2. Insurance ? ? 9. Monthly 3. Church (Religious institution) ? ? 10. Yearly 11. Other (Specify) ? 4. NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) 5. Other (Specify)______12. Don’t Know 6. Don’t Know (>> 803) 802b STATE THE NAMES OF THE OGANIZATIONS/ ? ? INSTITUTIONS? ? ? 1. ______? 2. ______3. ______4. ______5. Don’t Know (>> 803)
119
OBSERVATIONS
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
120
Annex 4: Questionnaire for employers
International Labour Organization Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA E QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EMPLOYERS
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF WORKPLACE
105. TELEPHONE______101. VILLAGE CODE ? For official use
102. NAME OF WORKPLACE WORKPLACE CODE ? ? ? For official use ______
CHILDREN’S NAME CODE For official use 103. ADDRESS OF WORKPLACE 1. ______? ? ? ______2. ______? ??
3. ______? ?? 104. VILLAGE/WARD 4. ______? ?? ______5. ? ?? ______6. ______? ?? MAIN ACTIVITY ? 7. ______? ?? ______8. ______? ??
______9. ______? ?? 10.______? ??
INTERVIEW And SUPERVISION 106. NAME OF INTERVIEWER 107. NAME OF SUPERVISOR 109. 110. INTERVIEW 108. VISITS MADE DATE OBSERVATIONS RESULT dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
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1. Agriculture Codes for 2. Fishing Main Activity 3. loading 4. Vending 5. Other: (Specify) ______Result of Interview 7. Complete (the employer agreed to the meeting) 8. Absent (the employer could not be found) 9. Rejected (the employer did not agree to the meeting) 10. Other
SECTION 2: EMPLOYER CHARACTERISTICS
201. NAME OF EMPLOPYER:
202. WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY? 205. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST GRADE OR YEAR OF SCHOOLING YOU HAVE COMPLETED? 1.Owner 2. Owner/Manager 1. None/Nursery 7. Form 1 14. If Post Secondary/ 3. Other______? /Kindergarten 8. Form 2 Tertiary/University (Specify) 2. Preparatory A&B 9. Form 3 write No. of Years 3. Standard One 10. Form 4 4. Standard Two 11. Form 5 ? 5. Standard Three 12. Form 6 6. Standard Four 13. Not Stated Tick if yrs Not Stated 203a. Sex ? ? 1. Male 2. Female
203b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU BELONG? ?
1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian 4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______
204. WHAT IS YOUR AGE? ? ? 206. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? ? 1.In this village/ward 2.In another village/ward in this region 3.In another region 4.In another country
SECTION 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORKPLACE
301. WHAT IS THE MAIN BUSINESS OF THIS 306. IN GENERAL, WHICH DAYS OF THE WEEK DO YOU WORK IN THIS ACTIVITY? FIRM OR COMPANY? ? ?
? ? 1. Services 2. Trade 3. Manufacturing 1.SUN 2.MON 3.TUE 4.WED 5.THU 6.FRI ? ? ? 7.SAT 4. Other ______? (Specify) 307. ON AVERAGE HOW MANY HOURS PER DAY DO YOU WORK? ? ? Type
Type (Describe activity): ______?
For official use
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302. HOW OLD IS THIS FIRM OR COMPANY YEARS 308.HOW REGULARLY ARE YOUR WORKERS PAID? OR BUSINESS? 1. Daily 3. Fortnightly ? 2. Weekly 4. Monthly ? ? 5. Other______(Specify)
303. HOW MANY PERSONS WORK IN THIS 309. WHAT IS THE NORMAL FORM OF PAYMENT? FIRM OR COMPANY? ? ? ? 1. Cash 2. In Kind Include permanent and temporary 3. In Kind & Cash 4. Other ______employees, as well as those under the age (Specify) ? of 18
304. HOW MANY EMPLOYEES UNDER THE AGE ? ? 310. ARE ADULTS PAID THE SAME AS THOSE OF 18 WORK IN THIS FIRM OR COMPANY OR UNDER THE AGE OF 18? (Ask, only if adults are ? BUSINESS? employed) Include permanent and temporary employees 1. Yes 2. No 305. DO YOUR WORKERS DEPEND ON PUBLIC 311. DO YOU USE PIECEWORK? OR PRIVATE SOCIAL SERVICES? (Piecework is work paid for by the amount produced)
1. Yes, public 2. Yes, private 3. No ? 1. Yes 2. No ?
312. WHAT TYPE OF SPECIFIC TASKS/ACTIVITY(IES) ARE CARRIED OUT IN THIS FIRM OR COMPANY? 1. ______2. ______3. ______
4. ______
313. DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF TASKS/ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY WORKERS LESS THAN 18 YEARS OLD
1. ______2. ______3. ______
SECTION 4: THOUGHTS ON CHILD LABOUR
401. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS FIRM/BUSINESS WILL BE ABLE TO USE A GREATER QUANTITY OF ADULT LABOUR?
1.Yes 2.No (>>403) ?
402. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS WOULD YOU HOPE TO FIND IN PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES?
1. ______2. ______
3. ______4. ______
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403. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BOYS, GIRLS 404. WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN TAKING & ADOLESCENTS WORKING? PART IN ACTIVITIES GEARED TO PREVENT /ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR AND TO PROTECT 1. There is a great need for such workers and CHILD WORKERS? therefore it is good no matter what type of work ? they do. 1. Yes
1. Yes 2. No 2. No ? 2. They must work to learn, but not in hazardous 3. Don’t know/not stated jobs i.e. jobs that are injurious to health, social and ? educational development.
1. Yes 2. No 3. They shouldn’t work and should only study. 405. WO ULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN TAKING ? PART IN ACTIVITIES GEARED TO MONITORING 1. Yes 2. No THE WITHDRAWAL OF CHILD LABOUR?
4. I don’t know/I have no opinion 1. Yes (Read this option if the respondent do not reply ? ? 2. No “yes” or “no” to statements 1, 2 or 3 above) 3. Don’t know/not stated
1. Yes 2. No
OBSERVATIONS
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
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Annex 5: Questionnaire for school principals
International Labour Organization International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS S
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF THE EDUCATION CENTRE 101. NAME OF EDUCATION CENTRE SCHOOL CODE ? ______For official use 102. TYPE OF SCHOOL ? 103. VILLAGE/WARD ______VILLAGE CODE ? ______For official use 104. ADDRESS OF EDUCATION CENTRE 105. TELEPHONE ______
INTERVIEW And SUPERVISION
106. NAME OF INTERVIEWER
107. NAME OF SUPERVISOR
108. VISITS 109. 110. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS MADE DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
Codes for Q102 Result of Interview 1. Kindergarden 11. Completed (children and parent or guardian interviewed) 2. Primary 12. Absent (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or 3. Secondary/Sec.Dept of Pr Sch/Comm. High Sch guardian was not found) 4. Post Secondary 13. Rejected (Only children and adolescents interviewed. Parent or 5. Special School guardian did not agree to the interview) 6. Vocational School 4. Other 7. Technical Institutes ______8. Adult Education (Specify) 9. University/Tertiary
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SECTION 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRINCIPAL
201. NAME OF THE PRINCIPAL OR PERSON INTERVIEWED: 202. WHAT IS THE POSITION OF PERSON 206. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? INTERVIEWED?
1. Principal 4. Other______1.In this village/ward 2.In another village/ward in this 2. Deputy/Asst. Principal (Specify) region 3. Senior Teacher ? 3.In another region 4.In another country ?
203a. SEX 1. Male 2. Female 207 HOW MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE DO ? YOU HAVE AS A PRINCIPAL, DEPUTY ? 203b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU PRINCIPAL, SENIOR TEACHER OR OTHER? BELONG? ? 1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian 4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) Code 99 if not stated 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______204. WHAT IS YOUR AGE? 208 DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR . ? RELATIVES ATTENDING THIS SCHOOL? ? Code 99 if not stated 1. Yes 2. No 205 WHAT IS THE HIGHEST ACADEMIC 209. DO YOU LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY? QUALIFICATION ACHIEVED? ? ? 1. Trained Teacher 6. Post Graduate Degree (Education) 1. Yes 2. No 2. Trained Teacher + Degree 7. Post Graduate Degree (in education) (not Education) 3. Trained Teacher + Degree 8. Other degree/qualifications (not education) ______4. Trained Teacher + Post (Specify) Graduate Diploma Education 5. Graduate Degree in Education
SECTION 3: INFORMATION ON THE EDUCATION CENTRE
I. INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC SERVICES 305. DOES THE EDUCATION CENTRE HAVE 301 HOW OLD DO YOU ESTIMATE THE MAIN ELECTRICITY? 1. Yes 2. No ? BUILDING IN THIS CENTRE TO BE? 306. HOW IS WATER SUPPLIED TO THE 1. Less than 5 years 5. Between 21 to 25 years EDUCATION CENTRE? SELECT THE MAIN 2. Between 5 to 10 years 6. Between 26 to 30 years SOURCE. 3. Between 11 to 15 years 7. Between 31 to 50 years ? 1. Piped into the building 2. Piped into yard 4. Between 16 to 20 years 8. More than 50 years 3. Public standpipe 4. Tube-well/Borehole with pump 9. Don’t know/not stated 5. Dug well 6. Spring 7. Pond, river, stream 302. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE WALLS OF 8. Vendor/Private supplier ? ? THE BUILDING(S) IS: 9. Stored Rain water (stored in tanks etc) 1. Wood? 6. Metal? 10. Tank truck (public) 2. Concrete? 7. Straw or palm leaf? 11. Other______3. Wood and Concrete? 8. Claybrick (Specify) 4. Adobe (Mud or sun-dried bricks)? 9. Other materials? 307. DOES THE CENTRE HAVE ACCESS TO ? 5. Makeshift ______SANITARY FACILITIES? ? (Specify) 1. Yes 2. No
303. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE ROOF OF THE 308. HOW MANY CLASSROOMS ARE THERE ? ? BUILDING(S) IS: IN THIS CENTRE? 1. Sheet metal (zinc, aluminum, galvanize)? 2. Shingle (asphalt)? 3. Shingle (Wood)? 4. Shingle (Other)? 309. HOW MANY CLASSROOMS ARE USED ? ? 5. Tile? 6. Concrete? 7. Thatched/troolie palm? ? FOR TEACHING? 8. Makeshift? 9. Other materials? (Specify) ______
304. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE FLOOR OF 310. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST EDUCATION LEVEL
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THE BUILDING(S) IS: LEVEL ATTAINED IN THIS CENTRE? 1. Kindergarten/nursery 2. Primary ? 1. Concrete? 2. Earth? 3. Concrete and wood? 3. Secondary/Sec.Dept of Pr Sch/Comm. High YEAR 4. Tile or brick? 5. Wood? 6. Other materials? Sch 4. Post Secondary 5. Special School ? ? ______6. Vocational School 7. Technical Institutes (Specify) 8. Adult Education 9. University/Tertiary
II. OFFICIALS, STUDENTS, PROGRAMMES AND EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS OF THE CENTRE 311. HOW MANY ACADEMIC OFFICIALS 315. WHAT PROGRAMMES OR EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS BELONG TO THIS CENTRE? (Include the Principal TAKE PLACE AT THIS CENTRE? and deputy Principal) ? ? 1. 2. 3. 4. 312. WHAT SHIFTS ARE IN PLACE AT THIS 5. CENTRE? ? 6. 7.
1. Morning 2. Evening 8. 3. Night 4. Mixed 5. None 9. 10. 313. HOW MANY STUDENTS GRADUATED 11. DURING THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR? 12. ? ? ? 13. 14. 15.
314. DISTRIBUTION OF GRADUATES BY TYPE, AVERAGE AGE AND GRADE LEVEL/GRADE AVERAGE GIRLS BOYS TOTAL AGE Kindergarten/nursery Primary Secondary/Sec.Dept of Pr Sch/Comm. High Sch Post Secondary Special School Vocational School Technical Institutes Adult Education University/Tertiary
INTERVIEWER: VERIFY THAT THE TOTAL OF THIS MATRIX COINCIDES WITH THE TOTAL NOTED IN QUESTION 313
127
SECTION 4: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PUPILS
401. WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN THIS CENTRE AS FAR AS REPITITION, SLOW LEARNING AND DROPOUTS ARE CONCERNED?
______
402. IN YOUR OPINION WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SITUATION?
______
______
403. WHAT IS THE HEALTH AND NUTRITION STATUS OF PUPILS IN THIS EDUCATION CENTRE?
______
______
404. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN HAZARDOUS WORK, i.e. WORK THAT IS INJURIOUS TO THEIR HEALTH OR SOCIAL OR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 408) ?
405. IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT IS THE NUMBER OF BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS THAT WORK IN THESE
ACTIVITIES? 1. ?? ? 2. Don’t know ? (>>406)
INDICATE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS.
ACTIVITIES
1. Agri 2. Vending 3. Fishing 4.Loading 5.Shop Asst 6.Other (Specify) ……………………………
BOYS ? ? ? ? ? ?
GIRLS ? ? ? ? ? ?
TOTAL ? ? ? ? ? ?
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406. IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE THE MAIN JOB ACTIVITIES OF BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS?
______
______
407. WHAT ARE THE MAIN RISKS FACED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR OF THIS AREA?
______
______
408. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE OTHER TYPES OF HIGH RISK WORK? (COMMERCIAL, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, DRUG TRAFFICKING, ETC.)
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 410) ?
409. WHICH ONES?
______
______
410. DO YOU THINK THAT THE WORK HAS AN IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 412) ?
411. HOW?
______
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412. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION AS PRINCIPAL, DEPUTY PRINCIPAL, TEACHER OR EDCATION OFFICIAL OF CHILD LABOURERS?
413. IN THE CASE OF WORKING STUDENTS, WHAT ACTIONS HAS THIS CENTRE TAKEN TO ASSIST THEM?
SECTION 5: POTENTIAL AND COMMITMENT OF THE EDUCATION CENTRE
ACADEMIC OFFICIALS CLASSROOMS EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. 4. 4. 4. 5. 5. 5.
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503. IF ACTIVITIES IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE INITIATED TO PREVENT AND OR ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR, WOULD THE PERSONNEL OF THIS CENTRE BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> CONCLUDE) ?
504. IN MONITORING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> CONCLUDE) ?
505 WHAT CONTRIBUTION DO YOU THINK THIS CENTRE COULD MAKE IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY?
OBSERVATIONS
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Annex 6: Questionnaire for health personnel International Labour Organization Programme for the Eradication of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA QUESTIONNAIRE FOR HEALTH PERSONNEL
H
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE HEALTH CENTRE
101. NAME OF HEALTH CENTRE CENTRE CODE ______? For Official use
102. VILLAGE CODE VILLAGE/WARD______? For Official use 103. ADDRESS OF HEALTH CENTRE ______104. TELEPHONE ______
INTERVIEW And SUPERVISION
105. NAME OF INTERVIEWER
106. NAME OF SUPERVISOR
107. VISITS MADE 108. 109. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
Result of Interview 14. Complete (person attended the interview) 15. Absent (person sought not located, resulting in another person being questioned) 16. Rejected (didn’t attend the interview) 17. Other (Specify):
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SECTION 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERVIEWEE
201. NAME OF THE HEALTH PERSONNEL INTERVIEWED: 202. WHAT IS YOUR DESIGNATION? 206. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 1. Public Health Nurse 2. Mid-wife 3. Public Health Nurse/Midwife 1.In this village/ward 2.In another village/ward in this 4. Medex region 5. Other______? 3.In another region 4.In another country ? (SpecifY) 203a. SEX 1. Male 2. Female 207. HOW MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE DO ? YOU HAVE IN YOUR PRESENT POSITION? ? 203b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU BELONG? ? 1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian 4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______204. WHAT IS YOUR AGE? Completed 208. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN Completed years years Code 99 if not stated WORKING IN THIS COMMUNITY? ? ? 205 WHAT IS THE HIGHEST ACADEMIC 209. DO YOU LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY? QUALIFICATION ACHIEVED? ? ? 1. Yes 2. No 1. Graduate degree in nursing 2. Public Health Nurse 3. Medex 4. Staff Nurse/Midwife 5. Midwife 6. Other (Specify) ______
SECTION 3: HEALTH CENTRE DATA
I. INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC SERVICES 305. DOES THE HEALTH CENTRE HAVE ELECTRICITY? 1. Yes 2. No ? 301. APPROXIMATELY HOW OLD IS THIS CENTRE? 306. HOW IS WATER SUPPLIED TO THE 1. Less than 5 years 5. 21 to 25 years HEALTH CENTRE? SELECT THE MAIN 2. 5 to 10 years 6. 26 to 30 years ? SOURCE. 3. 11 to 15 years 7. 31 to 50 years 1. Piped into the building 2. Piped into yard ? ? 4. 16 to 20 years 8. Over 50 years 3. Public standpipe 4. Tube-well/Borehole with pump 9. Don’t know/not stated 5. Dug well 6. Spring 7. Pond, river, stream 302. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE WALLS OF 8. Vendor/Private supplier THE BUILDING(S) IS: 9. Stored Rain water (stored in tanks etc) 1. Wood? 6. Metal? 10. Tank truck (public) 2. Concrete? 7. Straw or palm leaf? 11. Other______(Specify) 3. Wood and Concrete? 8. Claybrick ? 4. Adobe (Mud or sun-dried bricks)? 9. Other materials? 5. Makeshift ______307. DOES THE CENTRE HAVE ACCESS TO (Specify) SANITARY FACILITIES? ? 1. Yes 2. No 303. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE ROOF OF 308. HOW MANY CUBICLES OR ROOMS ? ? THE BUILDING(S) IS: ARE THERE IN THIS CENTRE? 1. Sheet metal (zinc, aluminum, galvanize)?
2. Shingle (asphalt)? 3. Shingle (Wood)? 4. Shingle (Other)? ?
5. Tile? 6. Concrete? 7. Thatched/troolie palm? 8. Makeshift? 9. Other materials?______309. WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF (Specify) CUBICLES OR ROOMS ALLOCATED FOR ? ? ATTENDING TO SICK PERSONS? 304. THE MAIN MATERIAL IN THE FLOOR OF THE BUILDING(S) IS: 1. Concrete? 2. Earth? 3. Concrete and wood? 4. Tile or brick? 5. Wood? 6. Other materials? ______? (Specify)
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II. HUMAN RESOURCES AND MATERIALS OF THE 314. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING YES NO CENTRE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE CENTRE? 310. HOW MANY PERSONS REGULARLY MAKE UP 1. Doctor 1 2 THE HEALTH PERSONNEL OF THIS CENTRE? 2. Nurse 1 2 (Exclude administrative personnel) ? 3. Nutritionist 1 2 4. Psychologist 1 2 311. HOW OFTEN PER WEEK DOES THIS 5. Nurse’s Aide 1 2 CENTRE ATTEND TO THE PUBLIC? 6. Social Worker 1 2 7. Lab Technician 1 2 1. Every day 2. From Monday to Friday 8. Posters or brochures on health matters 1 2
3. Weekends 4. Other (Specify):______? 9. Vaccines 1 2 10. First Aid Kits 1 2 312. HOW MANY BGA’S ARE USUALLY 11. Rehydration Salts 1 2 ATTENDED TO AT THIS CENTRE PER WEEK? ? ? ? 12. Anaesthesia 1 2 13. Serum 1 2 14. Contraceptives 1 2 Code 999 if not stated 15. Stretcher 1 2 16. Radio 1 2 313. HOW MANY OF THESE BGA’S ARE ? ? ? 17. Scale 1 2 WORKERS? 18. Ambulance 1 2
Code 999 if not stated
SECTION 4: CHARACTERISTICS OF BGA’S
401. WHAT IS THE SITUATION OF BGA’S (BOYS, GIRLS, ADOLESCENTS) IN THIS COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF HEALTH AND NUTRITION?
______
______
402. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS (ILLNESSES, RISKS AND ACCIDENTS) AMONG THE BGA’S IN THIS COMMUNITY?
______
______
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403. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN HAZARDOUS WORK, i.e. WORK THAT IS INJURIOUS TO THEIR HEALTH OR SOCIAL OR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 407) ?
404. IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS WHO WORK IN THESE ACTIVITIES?
1. ? ? ? 2. Don’t know ? (>>405)
INDICATE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS.
ACTIVITIES 1. Agri 2. Vending 3. Fishing 4.Loading 5.Shop Asst 6.Other (Specify)
………………… TOTAL
BOYS ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
GIRLS ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
TOTAL ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
405. IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE THE MAIN JOB ACTIVITIES OF BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS?
______
______
406. WHAT ARE THE MAIN RISKS FACED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR OF THIS AREA?
______
______
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407. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE OTHER TYPES OF HIGH RISK WORK? (COMMERCIAL, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, DRUG TRAFFICKING, ETC.)
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 409) ?
408. WHICH ONES?
______
______
409. DO YOU THINK THAT THE WORK HAS AN IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 411) ?
410. HOW?
______
______
411. GENERALLY WHEN THE BGA’S OF THIS COMMUNITY FALL ILL, WHAT TYPE OF TREATMENT DO THEY RECEIVE?
______
______412. TO WHERE DO THEY USUALLY HAVE RECOURSE? ______
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SECTION 5: POTENTIAL AND COMMITMENT OF THE HEALTH CENTRE
501. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS HEALTH CENTRE CAN ACCOMMODATE MORE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>>503) ?
502. WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES?
PERSONNEL RESOURCES 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5.
503. IF ACTIVITIES IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE INITIATED TO PREVENT AND OR ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR, WOULD THE PERSONNEL OF THIS HEALTH CENTRE BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> CONCLUDE) ?
504. IN MONITORING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> CONCLUDE) ?
505 WHAT CONTRIBUTION DO YOU THINK THIS CENTRE COULD MAKE IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY?
______
______
OBSERVATIONS
______
______
______
______
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138
Annex 7: Questionnaire for community leaders
International Labour Office International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS
L
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE COMMUNITY
101. NAME OF COMMUNITY LEADER 102. DESIGNATION OF COMMUNIUTY LEADER CODE ? ______COMMUNITY LEADER For Official use
VILLAGE CODE ? For Official use 103. VILLAGE/WARD______
104. ADDRESS OF COMMUNITY LEADER 105. TELEPHONE ______
______
INTERVIEW And SUPERVISION 106. NAME OF INTERVIEWER 107. NAME OF SUPERVISOR
108. VISITS MADE 109. 110. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
Result of interview 18. Complete (person attended the interview) 19. Absent (person sought not located, resulting in another person being questioned) 20. Rejected (didn’t attend the interview) 21. Other (Specify):
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SECTION 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVIEWEE
201. NAME OF INTERVIEWEE: 202. WHAT IS NAME OF YOUR ORGANISTION? 206. WHAT IS YOUR AGE?
203. WHAT IS YOUR POSITION IN THE Code 99 if not stated ORGANISTION/COMMUNITY?
1. Chairperson/head 2. Treasurer ? ? 3. Secretary of organization ? 4. Other______(Specify)
204. HOW MANY YEARS DO YOU HAVE AS A Completed yrs 207. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF COMMUNITY LEADER? ? ? EDUCATION ACHIEVED? ? 1. Incomplete primary 5. Incomplete university 2. Complete primary 6. Complete university 3. Incomplete secondary school 7. Other ______4. Complete secondary school (specify) 8. Never attended school 205a. SEX 208. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? ? ? 1. Male 2. Female 1.In this village/ward 2.In another village/ward in this 205b. TO WHICH ETHNIC GROUP DO YOU region 3.In another region 4.In another country BELONG? ?
1. African/Black 2. Amerindian 3. East Indian 4. Chinese 5. Mixed 6. White 7. Other (Specify) 8. Don’t know/Not stated ______
SECTION 3: COMMUNITY INFORMATION
301. WHAT IS THE MAIN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY 305. HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE THERE IN ? ? IN THIS COMMUNITY? (If more than one, select ? THIS COMMUNITY? the main one)
1. Agriculture 2. Livestock
3. Commerce 4. Manufacture Type 6. Fishing 7. Other ______(Specify) ? For official Type (Describe the activity): ______use 302. DOES THIS COMMUNITY HAVE 306. ARE THERE ANY HEALTH CENTRES IN ELECTRICITY? THIS COMMUNITY? ? ? 1. Yes, wholly 2. Yes, partly 3. No 1. Yes 2. No (>>308) 303. DOES THIS COMMUNITY HAVE PIPED 307. HOW MANY HEALTH CENTRES ARE ? ? WATER AND SEWER? THERE IN THIS COMMUNITY? ?
1. Yes, both 3. Only sewer 2. Only piped water 4. No
304. ARE THERE SCHOOLS IN THE COMMUNITY? 308. IS THERE A COMMUNAL KITCHEN IN THIS COMMUNITY?
1. Yes 2. No (>>306)
1. Yes 2. No ? ?
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SECTION 4: SUPPORT PROGRAMMES IN THE COMMUNITY
401. IN THIS COMMUNITY, ARE THERE ANY 405. IN THIS COMMUNITY, ARE THERE ANY NATIONAL (GOVERNMENT) ASSISTANCE SPECIAL PROGRAMMES (NGOs, Church) PROGRAMMES TARGETING FAMILIES, CHILDREN TARGETING FAMILIES AND/OR CHILDREN? AND/OR ADOLESCENTS? ? 1. Yes 2. No (>> 501) ? 1. Yes 2. No (>> 405)
402. WHAT ARE THE INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE 406. WHAT ARE THE INSTITUTIONS THAT IMPLEMENT IMPLEM ENTING THESE PROGRAMMES? THESE PROGRAMMES? 1. ______1. ______
2. ______2. ______
3. ______3. ______4. ______4. ______
403. HOW LONG HAVE THESE INSTITUTIONS Completed 407. HOW LONG HAVE THESE INSTITUTIONS Completed BEEN WORKING IN THIS COMMUNITY? Yrs BEEN WORKING IN THIS COMMUNITY? Yrs
1. ?? 1. ??
2.? ? 2.? ? 3.? ? 3.? ? 4.? ? 4.? ? 404. WHAT TYPE OF SPECIFIC SUPPORT DO 408. WHAT TYPE OF SPECIFIC SUPPORT DO THESE PROGRAMMES PROVIDE TO FAMILIES Programme THESE PROGRAMMES PROVIDE TO FAMILIES Programme AND/OR CHILDREN? code AND/OR CHILDREN? code For official For official 1. ______1. ______use use
1. 1. 2. ______?? 2. ______?? 2.? ? 2.? ? 3. ______3. ______3.? ? 3.? ?
4. ______4.? ? 4. ______4.? ? 5.? ? 5.? ? 5. ______5. ______6.? ? 6.? ? 6. ______6. ______
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SECTION 5: CHILD LABOUR IN THE COMMUNITY
501. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN HAZARDOUS WORK, i.e. WORK THAT IS INJURIOUS TO THEIR HEALTH OR SOCIAL OR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 506) ?
502. IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS WHO WORK IN THESE ACTIVITIES?
1. ? ? ? 2. Don’t know ? (>>503)
ACTIVITIES 1. Agri 2. Vending 3. Fishing 4.Loading 5.Shop Asst 6.Other (Specify) ………………… TOTAL
BOYS ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
GIRLS ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
TOTAL ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
503. WHAT ARE THE MAIN RISKS FACED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR OF THIS AREA?
______
______
504. IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE THERE OTHER TYPES OF HIGH RISK WORK? (COMMERCIAL, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, DRUG TRAFFICKING, ETC.)
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 506) ?
505. WHICH ONES?
______
______
______
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506. DO YOU THINK THAT CHILD LABOUR IS A CONCERN FOR AUTHORITIES IN THIS COMMUNITY?
Yes. 1 No. 2 (>> 508) ?
507. WHY SO?
______
______
508. IF ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR IN THIS COMMUNITY WERE TO BE INITIATED, DO YOU THINK THE POPULATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 CONCLUDE ?
509. IN MONITORING?
Yes. 1 No. 2 CONCLUDE ?
510. WHAT FACTORS MAY INDUCE PARTICIPATION? ______
______
511. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT CHILD LABOURERS THAT LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY?
______
512. WHAT TYPE OF ASSISTANCE OR SUPPORT DO CHILD LABOURERS RECEIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY?
______
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513. WHAT TYPE OR LEVEL OF COMMITMENT DO COMMUNITY AUTHORITIES HAVE TO SOLVE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY CHILD LABOURERS?
______
OBSERVATIONS
______
______
______
______
______
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Annex 8: Observation guide – workplace
International Labour Organization Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour
CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACTIVITY SURVEY IN PARIKA AND ITS ENVIRONS GUYANA OBSERVATION GUIDE – WORKPLACE
G
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE WORKPLACE
101. WORKPLACE CODE 102. SETTING ? 1. PARIKA MARKET NAME OF WORKPLACE: For official use ? 2. PARIKA MAIN ROAD 3. PARIKA WHARF ______4. PARIKA BACK
5. OTHER: ______(Specify) ______
INTERVIEW And SUPERVISION
103. NAME OF INTERVIEWER
104. NAME OF SUPERVISOR
105. VISITS MADE 106. 107. RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS DATE INTERVIEW dd mm yy 1. 2. 3. 4.
For official use CHILDREN’S NAME CODE 1. ______?? ? 2. ______?? ? Result of Interview 3. ______?? ? 22. Complete 4. ______? ?? 23. Incomplete(unable to obtain information for the guide) 24. Other (Specify) 5. ______? ?? ______6. ______? ?? 7. ______? ?? ______8. ______? ?? ____
9. ______? ?? 10. ______?? ?
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SECTION 2: WORKPLACE CHARACTERISTICS Enumerator, indicate in the boxes at Q201b and Q202b, the number of children who worked under conditions injurious to their health, social or academic development. 201a. NUMBER OF MALE CHILDREN AND MALE ? ? 204. NUMBER OF MALE ADULTS? ? ? ADOLESCENTS?
Consider as male adults, males 201b. NUMBER OF MALE CHILDREN AND MALE ? ? ADOLESCENTS WHO MEET THE ABOVE WORK who are more than 18 years CRITERION.
old 202. NUMBER OF FEMALE CHILDREN AND ? ? 205. NUMBER OF FEMALE ADULTS? ? ? FEMALE ADOLESCENTS? Consider as female adults, 202b. NUMBER OF FEMALE CHILDREN AND ? ? females who are more than 18 FEMALE ADOLESCENTS WHO MEET THE ABOVE WORK CRITERION. years old
203. AVERAGE AGE OF BGA OBSERVED? ? ? ENUMERATOR: KEEP IN MIND THAT THE OBSERVATIONS ARE TO BE REFERRED ONLY TO BOYS, GIRLS AND ADOLESCENTS WHO WORK
206. TYPES OF ACTIVITIES PERFORMED? 212. TEMPERATURE? ______207. INSTRUMENTS AND TOOLS USED TO PERFORM THE 213. EXPOSURE TO THE SUN AND/OR WATER? JOBS? ______208. PHYSICAL RISKS OR DANGERS (BURNS, CUTS, 214. HANDLING OF CHEMICALS? ACCIDENTS, ETC.)? ______209. EMOTIONAL RISKS OR DANGERS (PHYSICAL,VERBAL OR 215. PRESENCE OF INSECTS, DISEASE CARRYING SEXUAL ABUSE, MISTREATMENT, ETC.)? ORGANISMS? ______210. ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OR DANGERS TO WHICH THE 216. WORK ENVIRONMENT (RELATIONSHIP OBSERVED BGA ARE EXPOSED (POLLUTION, POISONING, ETC.)? BETWEEN BGA AND BETWEEN THEM AND THE ______ADULTS)? ______211. PRESENCE OF STRONG SCENTS (ACIDS, CHEMICALS, 217. SOCIAL RISKS PRESENT IN THE WORKPLACE DECOMPOSING MATTER)? SURROUNDINGS (ILLICIT ACTIVITIES, COMMON ______DELIQUENCY, PROSTITUITION, DRUGS, ETC)? ______
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SECTION 3: ATTITUDE AND FEELINGS OF THE BGA OBSERVED
ENUMERATOR: FOR EVERY ONE OF THE ATTITUDE OR FEELINGS, INDICATE IF THEY WERE OBSERVED IN ALL THE BGA, THE MAJORITY OR ONLY A FEW OF THEM
301. HAPPINESS/ENTHUSIASM? 304. FEAR? ______302. HUNGER/THIRST? 305. ANGER? ______303. FATIGUE/DEPRESSION? ______
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Annex 9: Businesses in Parika and its environs
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Parika Auto repairs 3 Banks 3 Barber shop 2 Boutique 1 Fabric store 1 Fish port 1 Furniture Store 1 Furniture Store & Appliance store 2 Gas station 3 General store 9 Grocery Shop 12 Ice Cream Shop 1 Internet café 1 Liquor Restaurant/rum shop 12 Marine office 1 Market centre 1 Meat centre 3 Medex 1 Motor Spares shop 3 Pawn shop 1 Pharmacy 1 Photo studio 1 Pool shop 1 Post office 1 Poultry farm 1 Poultry retailer 1 Privately owned educational centre 1 Restaurant 8 Rice & brand distribution 1 Sawmill 3 Shoe & Clothing store 1 Shoe making 1 Snackette 11 Supermarket 1 Tin smith 1 Travel agency 1 Variety store 1 Video club 1 Vulcanising shop 1 Total 100
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VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Anna Catherina Auto Electrical Shop 1 Butcher Shop 1 Cane Juice Shop 1 Computer Training 1 Daycare 1 Greens Stall 2 Grocery 29 Hairdresser 4 Hollow Blocks 2 Insurance Company 1 Jewellery Workshop 13 Liquor Restaurant 6 Mechanic Shop 4 Medical Clinic 2 Private School 1 Restaurant 5 Rum Shop 1 Sale of Beverages 1 Sale of Confectioneries 1 Sale of Gas 3 Sale of Hardware 2 Sale of Lumber 1 Sewing 3 Snackette 17 Tailor Shop 2 Total 105
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Uitvlugt Beverage Shop 18 (of which De Groot Incline is a part) Barber Shop 4 Drug Store 1 Grocery Shop 18 Mechanic Shop 4 Making Furniture 2 Meat Shop 1 Medical clinic 1 Photo-coping Service 1 Private school 1 Rearing livestock 2 Restaurant 2 Seamstress 3 Sell live & pluck chicken 2 Selling cloths 2 Snackette 6 Sports activities 1 Spray Painting 1 Variety Shop 5 Video Shop 2 150
Total 77 VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. De William Grocery Shop 7 Ice Cream Shop 1 Liquor Restaurant 3 Snackette 2 Tailoring 1 Furniture Store 1 Gym 1 Distribution of beverage 1 Restaurant 2 Retail sale of hardware 1 Variety store 3 Jewellery Store 1 Manufacturing of Furniture 2 Total 26
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Hyde Park Grocery Store 3 Beer Garden 1 Total 4
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Hydronie Welding Shop 1 Play Group 1 Variety Store 2 Gas Station 1 Justice of Peace 1 Total 6
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Lookabu Snackette 2 Restaurant 2 Mechanic Shop 1 Grocery Store 2 Variety Store 1 Manufacture of Furniture 1 Total 9
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VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Leguan Beer Garden 2 Fishing 1 General Store 1 Grocery 22 Grocery & Hardware 1 Making Furniture 1 Petrol 2 Poultry Rearing 1 Process Paddy 8 Restaurant 1 Rum Shop 6 Selling Alcohol Beverage 5 Selling Clothing 1 Selling Movies 1 Snackette 1 Vehicle Repair Shop 2 Total 56
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Meten-meer-zorg Bakery 1 Beer Garden 2 Butcher Shop 1 Cinema 1 Dental Depot 1 Electrical Store 1 Furniture Production 1 Grocery Store 21 Hotel 1 Liquor Shop 2 Mechanic Shop 3 Pharmacy 1 Restaurant 7 Sale of Beverages 1 Sale of Fuel 1 Sale of Hardware 1 Shoe Repairs 1 Shop 2 Snackette 5 Supply of Water 1 Tailor Shop 1 Training school 1 Variety Store 8 Video Club 1 Total 66
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VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Namryck Variety Store 1 Total 1
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Organestein Grocery Store 1 Lumber yard 1 Snackette 1 Total 3
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Philadelphia Grocery Shop 2 Liquor Shop 1 Liquor Restaurant 2 Restaurant 1 Selling Drink 1 Snackette 1 Variety Shop 2 Total 10
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Ruby Backdam Chicken Farm 1 Grocery Shop 1 Sale of Fuel 1 Snackette 1 Total 4
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Stewartville Dental Clinic 1 Dry Goods Store 6 Furniture Manufacturing 1 General Store 1 Grocery Shop 14 Kerosene 1 Liquor Shop 3 Lumber 2 Machine Work Shop 1 Making & Designing Block 1 Photocopying 1 Poultry Farming 3 Repair Shoes 1 Restaurant 3 Selling Fruits 1 Selling Snacks 2 Sewing Room 2 Snackette 5 Student Lessons 1 Variety Store 1 Total 51 153
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Tuschen Construction 2 Grocery Shop 15 Hardware Shop 1 Liquor Restaurant 5 Night Club 2 Sawmill 2 Snackette 5 Total 32
VILLAGE NAME TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. Unity Pool Hall 1 Snackette 4 Total 5
VILLAGE NAME - Zeeburg Communication Service TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. 1 Cycle Repairs 1 Furniture 1 General Store 1 Grocery 2 Haberdashery 1 Lumber Yard 1 Photo Studio 1 Photography 1 Restaurant 2 Salon 2 Sewing 1 Snackette 8 Supermarket 1 Total 24
VILLAGE NAME- Zeelugt Antique Dealer TYPE OF BUSINESS NO. 1 Auto Space 1 Electrical Shop 1 Fruit Shop 1 Furniture Manufacturing 1 General Store 3 Grocery Shop 20 Hardware Store 1 Mechanic Shop 2 Plant Shop 1 Play School 1 Poultry Farm 1 Restaurant 4 Sale of kero 1 Sale of gas 1 Snackette 6 Total 46 154
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