Sri Lanka, Sept. 24 -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today commended the Government of Sri Lanka for adopting two critical policy reforms that will increase the minimum age of labour, and ensure that no child enters the adult prison system.

Issuing a statement, UNICEF said the decision to increase the minimum age of labour from 14 years to 16 years will align labour laws to fit within the mandatory age of education, which is also 16 years. This initiative, which was led by the Ministry of Labour, enables meaningful realisation of children's right to compulsory education, it said.

A policy decision to amend the Children and Young Persons Ordinance and the Youthful Offenders (Training Schools) Ordinance was also taken by the...