Bill to raise entry age into GDF tabled

TIMES INT'L

Government is seeking to raise the age of entry into the Guyana Defence Force from 16 to 18 years. Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Charles Ramson Sr, on Thursday last, introduced the Defence Amendment Bill, No 23 of 2010, which also raises the minimum age for enlistment with the consent of a parent from 14 years to 16 years. 

The bill, which seeks to amend section 18 of the principal act, substitutes the words ‘sixteen years’ with ‘eighteen years’ and ‘fourteen years’ with ‘sixteen years’ respectively. It is in keeping with Guyana’s accession to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Guyana Times International understands that government is moving to eliminate all forms of child labour in Guyana, in keeping with its international obligation. 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards — also called human rights — set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. 

It is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights — civil, cultural, economic, political and social. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them, because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights, too. 

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children’s rights, and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. Guyana successfully acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on August 11, 2010.  A Rights of the Child Commission has been set up to ensure that Guyana lives up to these commitments.

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