90,000 youngsters in Panama facing sexual and commercial exploitation

(newsroompanama.com) Some 90,000 children and young Panamanians face commercial sexual exploitation, exhausting farm work, fishing and domestic work every day.

The objective of eradicating child labor in Panama is far from fulfilled
says Gloria Lozano Diaz, director of the National Secretariat for Children, Youth and Family (Senniaf) who reported during a training session, that since the creation of the organization in 2009, 169 complaints have dealt with commercial sexual exploitation.

Lavítola Angelica, director of Casa Esperanza, said that poverty and extreme poverty are the main obstacles to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, with a goal of eradicating the worst forms of child labor by 2015,and eliminating it completely by 2020.

Lavítola said it is urgent to implement, unity of purpose between government, employers and society by creating an effective social policy, including the creation of better job offers and microenterprises.

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Original Source: http://www.newsroompanama.com/panama/1668-90000-youngsters-in-panama-facing-sexual-and-commercial-exploitation.html
Date Retrieved: September 11, 2010.