A survey carried out by the Ministry of Labour shows that 428,720 minors, or 17.8% of the estimated 2,400,000 minor population (ages 5 to 17) living in the DR work full time or part-time. Of the total minors population, 18% do not know how to read or write. The study also showed that 13.4% of children under 14 work, 27.5% of those 14-15 years have jobs, and 32.5% of those 16-17 years are working. Children work at paid domestic chores, shoe shining, sales, farm labour, making handicrafts and other manufacturing tasks to supplement the meagre earnings of their families. The survey was carried out from 21 November to 28 December 2000. Labour Minister Milton Ray Guevara said his department is preparing new policies to fight child labour with the help of a US$1.3 million donation from the World Labour Organization and US$300,000 in Dominican government matching funds. Celso Marranzini, president of a leading local pro-education foundation (Educa), told the Listín Diario that the results of the survey should shock even the most insensitive of people. He said that there is not only a lack of funding in the education sector but also existing resources are not put to their best use.
