Brazil Drafts National Health System to Help Fight Child Labor

Starting today, the fight against child labor will count on the assistance of workers in the Brazilian public health system, known as the Unified Health System (SUS, Sistema Àšnico de Saúde).

Brazil’s Ministry of Health presented SUS workers in Brasí­lia today with the Child Labor Routine Manual, which will be launched officially on a nationwide basis on June 9.


The act is one of the events scheduled to take place around the country through June 12, when World Day Against Child Labor is commemorated.


Maria da Graça Hoefel, a workers’ health technician in the Ministry of Health, explains that one of the forms of child labor that is most common and most difficult to combat is domestic labor.


“A large number of girls in urban areas work as domestics, and since the work is invisible, its dimensions are unknown.”


Brazilian legislation prohibits boys and girls under the age of 14 from working. Between 14 and 15, they are only allowed to work as apprentices, provided that the work is not dangerous, unhealthy, strenuous, or at night.


From the age of 16 on, young people can work as apprentices or formal employees with the assurance of all labor and social security rights.


Brazil is considered an international example in the battle against exploitation of children.


Through the Program for the Erradication of Child Labor (Peti), the government grants a monthly stipend that ranges from US$ 10.40 (25 reais) in rural areas to US$ 16.65 (40 reais) in urban areas to boys and girls removed from child labor.


The program also offers cultural and athletic activities during the period when they are not attending school.


At present, 930,824 children and adolescents between the ages of seven and 15 are being benefitted.


The government intends to reach a million boys and girls by the end of the year.


Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

US$ 100 Laptop Revolution Starts Today in Brazil

The MIT-Media Lab founder, Nicholas Negroponte’s dream of putting a laptop in every child’s ...

Brazil’s Petrobras to Invest US$ 18 Billion to Produce Gas

In the next ten years Petrobras will invest around US$ 18 billion on the ...

US and Argentina Get Lion Share of Brazilian Petrobras US$ 16 Bi Investment

Petrobras, Brazil's state-controlled oil and gas multinational announced its international 2009/2013 investment plan totaling ...

Brazil: Is Lula Abandoning Sí£o Paulo’s Mayor?

The main reason for people not voting for José Serra (PSDB) was his performance ...

Brazil on the Verge Again of Regulating Journalists’ Work

A new federal law regulating the work of journalists that was approved by the ...

High Inflation Doesn’t Deter Bulls in Brazil

Latin American stocks were mixed to higher, with Brazilian stocks advancing, as signs of ...

Brazil to Become in 10 Years a Big Trendsetter in Latin America

By 2020 Brazil should be even a greater dictator of consumer tastes in Latin ...

1, 2, 3, 4 Polls See Lula Winning Reelection in Brazil by Landslide

Four surveys in a row have given Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ...

From Its Annual 175 Million Flip-Flops Brazil Alpargatas Exports 10%

One of the largest Brazilian shoe makers, São Paulo Alpargatas company, intends to triple ...

WordPress database error: [Table './brazzil3_live/wp_wfHits' is marked as crashed and last (automatic?) repair failed]
SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM `wp_wfHits`