Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)

Slovak Republic

Government Programs and Policies to Eliminate the WorstForms of Child Labor

The Government of the Slovak Republic instituted a NationalAction Plan for Children’s Rights in 2002.[3965] It has also established a Committee on the Rights of the Child, and createddepartments within its Ministries of Education and Social Affairs to protectchildren’s rights.[3966] The government has also increased its attention to the elimination oftrafficking in the country. A new unit to combat trafficking was createdwithin the Police Department of Organized Crime in June 2002 to coordinatetrafficking investigations. The Law Against Trafficking in Persons was alsoamended to include stricter measures for violations.[3967] In addition, the government is working in consultation with the IOM and the UNOffice on Drugs and Crime to promote the international coordination of policiesand programs on trafficking.[3968] The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is implementing a project on trafficking inpersons that supports strengthening the criminal justice response, as well asproviding protection and support to victims of trafficking.[3969]

In collaboration with UNESCO, the government has developedan Education for All Program,[3970]sponsored a media campaign to encourage school attendance, and developed apre-school program to teach Roma children the Slovak language.[3971] The European Community’s Phare Program has funded the project “Improvement ofthe Situation of the Roma in the Slovak Republic,” which includes an educationcomponent geared at improving the integration of Roma children in primaryschool.[3972]

Incidence and Nature of Child Labor

Statistics on the number of working children under the ageof 15 in the Slovak Republic are unavailable.[3973] Girls from Slovakia are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexualexploitation, and Slovakia is a country of origin, transit and a destinationcountry for such victims of trafficking.[3974] The Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concerns over severalissues related to children. In particular, the transit of trafficked childrenthrough Slovakia for the purpose of pornography, prostitution and sex tourismhas drawn attention to the need for protecting children.[3975] Insufficient data and awareness of the phenomenon of the commercial sexualexploitation of children persist.[3976]

Education is free and compulsory. The Education Act of 1994established a 9-year compulsory school attendance. In 1998, the law was amendedand a gradual change to 10 years was initiated.[3977] In 2000, the gross primary enrollment rate was 103 percent, and the net primaryenrollment rate was 89.4 percent.[3978]Primary school attendance rates are unavailable for the Slovak Republic. Whileenrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do notalways reflect children’s participation in school.[3979] Although official statistics are unavailable, it is believed that fewer Romathan Slovak children attend primary school.[3980] Roma children are also disproportionately placed in special schools for thementally disabled, often because they lack sufficient knowledge of the Slovaklanguage.[3981]

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

The Labor Code sets the minimum age for employment at 15years. Children under the age of 15 may perform light work in cultural orartistic performances, sports events, and advertising activities with theapproval of the National Labor Inspector’s Office as long as the work does notaffect their health, safety, development, or full-time schooling.[3982] Children under the age of 16 years may not work underground or perform workthat is inappropriate for their age or detrimental to their health.[3983] Children under 16 may not work more than 30 hours per week, and children overage 16 are limited to 37.5 hours per week.[3984] Violations for child labor include civil fines up to 500,000 crowns (USD11,494) for first time offenders, and up to 1 million crowns (USD 22,989) forrepeat offenders.[3985]

The Criminal Code prohibits the sale and trafficking ofpersons, and these crimes can be penalized more severely when the victim isunder the age of 18.[3986] The trafficking of children for the purposes of adoption, child labor, or anyother illegal purpose is also prohibited by the Criminal Code.[3987]A person convicted of selling a child under the age of 15 for the purpose ofprostitution can receive a penalty of up to 12 years imprisonment. A maximumsentence of 15 years can be applied if serious bodily injury results or if theperpetrator is an organized crime member.[3988] On September 1, 2002, the Law Against Trafficking in Persons was revised toinclude sentences of 3 to 10 years of imprisonment for individuals found guiltyof trafficking crimes. For offenders who were involved with crime syndicates,the length of imprisonment can last from 12 to 15 years.[3989] The Constitution prohibits forced labor.[3990]

The inspection section of the Ministry of Labor enforces thecountry’s child labor laws.[3991] Child labor complaints are first received and investigated by the Ministry’sdistrict inspection units. If a violation of a child labor law is found tohave occurred, the case is turned over to the national inspection unit. Thegovernment distributes fliers explaining legislation on and hazards of childlabor, and also provides specific training to its inspectors on child labor.[3992] In 1997, a special department was established in the Slovak Police Corps thatdeals specifically with crimes committed against children and juveniles,including commercial sexual exploitation.[3993]

The Government of the Slovak Republic ratified ILOConvention 138 on September 29, 1997, and ILO Convention 182 on December 20,1999.[3994]

[3965]Mr. Peter Magvasi, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family of the Slovak Republic, Statement at the 27th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Children, UNICEF, [online] 2002 [cited July 9, 2003]; available from http://www.un.org/ga/children/slovakiaE.htm. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969, September 8, 2003.

[3966]U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969. See also U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2002: Slovak Republic, Washington, D.C., March 31, 2003, Section 5; available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18390.htm. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 897, September 2002. See also Mr. Peter Magvasi, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family of the Slovak Republic, Statement at the 27th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Children.

[3967]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, Section 6f.

[3968]Ibid.

[3969] The UN International Center for Crime Prevention is part of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. See United Nations Information Service, Press Briefing on UN Vienna Offices' Contribution to General Assembly Special Session on Children, [press briefing] 2002 [cited July 31, 2003]; available from http://www.unis.unvienna.org/en/events/2002/summary08may02.htm.

[3970]Ludmila Simcakova, Education for All 2000 Assessment: Country Reports- Slovak Republic, UNESCO, [online] 1999 [cited June 28, 2003]; available from http://www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/slovakia/contents.html.

[3971]U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 897.

[3972]Slovak Republic Government Office, Overview of Phare Projects Focusing on Minorities, [online] 2003 [cited August 1, 2003]; available from http://www.vlada.gov.sk/mensiny/phare_summary_ENG.doc.

[3973]World Bank, World Development Indicators 2003 [CD-ROM], Washington, D.C., 2003. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969.

[3974]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, Sections 5 and 6f.

[3975]Russian and Ukrainian girls are reportedly vulnerable to trafficking through Slovakia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. See UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: Slovakia, CRC/C/15/Add.140, United Nations, Geneva, October 23, 2000, para. 49; available from http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CRC.C.15.Add.140.En?OpenDocument.

[3976]Ibid., para. 49-50.

[3977]Education Act No. 350/1994 was amended by Education Act No. 6/1998. See Ludmila Simcakova, EFA Country Report: Slovak Republic, INNODATA, Slovakia Country Report, 2000 [cited July 31, 2003]; available from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE/natrap/Slovakia.pdf.

[3978]World Bank, World Development Indicators 2003.

[3979]For a more detailed discussion on the relationship between education statistics and work, see the preface to this report.

[3980]U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 897.

[3981]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, Section 5.

[3982] Labor Code Act, Part 1, Article 11. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969.

[3983]USDOL-Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Advancing the Campaign Against Child Labor: Efforts at the Country Level, USDOL, Washington, DC, July 2002, Part 7, Article 175. See also Labor Code Act, Part 7, Article 175.

[3984]Labor Code Act, Part 3, Article 85.

[3985]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, 6d.

[3986]Criminal Code of Slovak Republc, as cited in The Protection Project, "Slovakia," in Human Rights Report on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children: A Country-by-Country Report on a Contemporary Form of Slavery, March 2002; available from http://209.190.246.239/ver2/cr/Slovakia.pdf. See also U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, 6f.

[3987]The Protection Project, "Slovak Republic," Article 216a.

[3988]Ibid., Article 204.

[3989]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Slovak Republic, Section 6f. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969.

[3990]Constitution of the Slovak Republic, Article 18.

[3991]U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 897. See also U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 969.

[3992]U.S. Embassy- Bratislava, unclassified telegram no. 897.

[3993]UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Initial Reports of State Parties: Slovakia, CRC/C/11/Add.17, August 17, 1998, para. 66; available from http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CRC.C.11.Add.17.En?OpenDocument. Documentation from the Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Exploitation Unit at the Slovak Republic’s Police Presidium showed that there were 28 cases of trafficking in human beings and no cases of trafficking in children under the Criminal Code as of October 2003. See U.S. Department of State official, electronic communication to USDOL official, February 18, 2004.

[3994]ILO, Ratifications by Country, in ILOLEX, [database online] [cited July 31, 2003]; available from http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/newratframeE.htm.