Inspectors from the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel) conducted raids on commercial establishments and fishing areas as part of a national strategy to prevent child labor and guarantee the educational and developmental rights of childhood and adolescence. These actions were highlighted as a positive result and a reflection of prevention efforts.
Mitradel's technical staff emphasized the legal provisions governing the hiring of minors in Panama. However, Mitradel underscores the need to maintain and strengthen constant monitoring to achieve the definitive eradication of this problem in Panama.
The inspection operation was carried out in coordination with the Police for Childhood and Adolescence, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), and the National Secretariat for Childhood, Adolescence, and Family (Senniaf).
The Mitradel team, composed of social workers and technical personnel, visited various businesses in the Calidonia district, as well as areas in the interior of the country, specifically in Puerto Vidal, Las Palmas district, and fishing zones. During the operation, the presence of minors performing labor activities was not detected.
It was emphatically reiterated that the hiring of any minor under 14 years of age for any type of work is absolutely prohibited. For the 14 to 17 age group, the law allows labor activity as long as companies comply with specific parameters, such as a reduced six-hour workday during daytime hours, which must be compatible with the adolescent's mandatory school attendance, among other fundamental rights.
As part of the tour, the visited merchants and entrepreneurs were informed about the provisions contained in International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 138, which establishes the minimum age for admission to employment, as well as the content of Executive Decree No. This inter-institutional collaboration represents a significant advance in the frontal fight against child labor in the country.
