Panama Comes Out against Child Labor
A nationwide campaign against child labor was launched here on Thursday to commemorate World Day against Child Labor, which falls on June 12.

The date was instituted by the International Labour Organization, and according to official statistics, more than 47,000 Panamanian children and adolescents must work to make ends meet.

When presenting the campaign, First Lady Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos pointed out that child labor affects children´s physical, mental and spiritual health.

One of the initiatives, called "Stay in School", will grant 1,000 scholarships sponsored by the Institute for Training and Human Resource Management (IFARHU).

She also mentioned the program "Finish Your Year", which targets children who drop out from school to work in the fields or with their parents.

The First Lady said that President Martin Torrijos will sign an Executive Decree this month to determine the worst forms of child labor in Panama.

According to official statistics, 54.4 percent of Panamanian children make up 40 percent of the country´s poor.

Experts said that 9,548 children aged 5-17 are likely to become dropouts to engage in some form of paid activity.

The General Comptroller´s Office reported that 76 percent of Panamanian children work in agriculture, including coffee picking, while others sell sweets and fruit or shine shoes in the street.