Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
In October 1998, the Government of Croatia established the Council for Children as the national coordinating body of the National Program of Action for Children.[1255] The government approved a National Plan of Action on trafficking in 2002, and has a National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons.[1256]
The government works with international organizations to assist trafficking victims, and cooperates with governments in the region. The government also conducts police training, and assisted an NGO network in establishing a victim hotline.[1257] The Government of Croatia signed the Agreement on Cooperation to Prevent and Combat Trans-border Crime with the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative.[1258] In addition, the government cooperates with the IOM,[1259] which maintains an office in Zagreb and has received funding to conduct regional anti-trafficking programs. The specific goals of the IOM program are to conduct research into the problem of trafficking, raise public awareness of the issue, and hold capacity building programs for police and potential law enforcers.[1260] UNICEF has education programs to improve curricula, train teachers, and address ethnic intolerance in order to positively affect children’s school attendance, particularly in areas where Bosnian or Serbian refugees are returning home.[1261] The Office for National Minorities has a special program for the inclusion of Roma children in the education system in Croatia.[1262]
Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
Statistics on the number of working children under age 15 in Croatia are unavailable. According to government officials, only a small number of children ages 15 to 18 years are employed, mainly in the textile and maritime industries.[1263] Reports indicate that Croatia is primarily a transit country, but to a limited extent is also a destination country for trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation.[1264] According to research conducted by IOM between March and September 2001, 8 percent of the Croatian population surveyed responded that there was a case of prostitution of a foreign minor in their community.[1265] Education is free and compulsory in Croatia.[1266] The Law of Primary Education (1990) requires 8 years mandatory education for children to begin at 6 years of age.[1267] Children generally complete compulsory education at age 14. However, most Croatian children remain in school until age 18.[1268] In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 91.3 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 84.1 percent.[1269] Primary school attendance rates are unavailable for Croatia. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children’s participation in school.[1270] In general, primary school attendance is reported to be lower among ethnic Roma, many of whom do not go to school at all, or drop out around the second or third grade.[1271]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Law (No. 758/1995) sets the minimum age for employment at 15 years, and children ages 15 to 18 may only work with written permission from a legal guardian.[1272] The minimum work age is enforced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.[1273] According to stipulations in the Labor Law and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, children under age 18 are prohibited from working overtime, at night, under dangerous labor conditions, or in any other job that may be harmful to a child’s health, morality, or development.[1274]
The Constitution prohibits forced or bonded labor.[1275] There is no law specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons; however, trafficking-related offenses can be prosecuted under sections of the Criminal Code dealing with the establishment of slavery and transportation of slaves, and the illegal transfer of persons across state borders.[1276] The Criminal Code also outlaws international prostitution, including solicitation of a minor, and prohibits procurement of minors for sexual purposes.[1277] The law also forbids using children for pornographic purposes.[1278]
The Government of Croatia ratified ILO Convention 138 on October 8, 1991, and ILO Convention 182 on July 17, 2001.[1279]
|
