Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has today (08) endorsed the certificate on the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill.

The Bill, which seeks to amend the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956, was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Labour and was passed by Parliament on August 20, according to a statement issued by the Department of Communication of Parliament.

The primary objective of this amendment is to update the fines imposed for offences under the Act relating to the employment of women, young persons and children, in order to bring them in line with current circumstances.

The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956 completely prohibits the employment of children under the age of 16. As the fines that may be imposed by a court for offences under the Act are no longer adequate in view of prevailing socio-economic conditions, the new amendment provides for the revision of those fines, the statement said. 

Accordingly, the Bill has been introduced to increase the fines imposed for offences under the Women, Young Persons and Children (Employment) Act No. 47 of 1956, from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 100,000, it added.

Accordingly, the Bill will come into force as the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Act No. 21 of 2026.