Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 6/13/2001 |
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| Ratified Convention 182 6/13/2001 |
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| ILO-IPEC Member |
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| National Plan for Children |
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| National Child Labor Action Plan |
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| Sector Action Plan (Commercial Sexual Exploitation) |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
UNICEF estimated that 29.9 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years in Angola were working in 2001.[162] Many children in Angola live in the streets, not only as a result of displacement from recent civil conflict, but also as a consequence of poverty and the lack of any other options.[163] Many homeless girls are at high risk of sexual and other forms of violence.[164] Street children often work as shoe shiners, car washers, and water carriers.[165] Angolan children work in subsistence agriculture, as domestic servants, as street vendors,[166] and as beggars.[167]
Child trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, pornography, forced labor, sexual slavery, and other forms of exploitation are reported to exist in the country.[168] Angola is a country of origin for trafficked children. Children have been trafficked internally and also to Namibia and South Africa for the purposes of sexual exploitation and domestic and commercial labor.[169]
Education in Angola is compulsory and free for 8 years,[170] although families are responsible for significant additional fees.[171] In 1999-2000, the gross primary enrollment rate was approximately 74 percent and the net primary enrollment rate was approximately 30 percent.[172] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 2001, 55.8 percent of children attended primary school.[173] Higher percentages of boys attend school.[174] As of 2001, 76.0 percent of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.[175] Only 6 percent of children are enrolled in secondary school.[176] Reports indicate that more than 1 million school-age children are estimated to be out of school with little prospect of returning.[177] It is estimated that children make up a majority of the roughly 832,000 displaced persons in Angola, and educational opportunities are extremely limited for displaced children and adolescents.[178] In Angola’s recent conflict, nearly half of all schools were reportedly looted and destroyed, leading to problems of overcrowding.[179] Other factors, such as teacher strikes,[180] landmines, lack of resources and identity papers, and poor health prevent children from attending school regularly.[181]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The minimum age for employment in Angola is 14 years. Children between the ages of 14 and 18 are not permitted to work at night, under dangerous conditions, or in activities requiring great physical effort. Children under 16 years of age are restricted from working in factories.[182] The Constitution and Angolan statutory law prohibit forced or bonded child labor.[183] In 1998, the Angolan Council of Ministers established a minimum conscription age for military service of 17 years.[184] Trafficking in persons is not specifically prohibited in Angola, but forced servitude, prostitution, and pornography are illegal under the general criminal statute.[185] Sexual relations with a child under 12 years are defined as rape under Angolan law. Sexual relations with a child between 12 and 15 years may result in up to 8 years imprisonment.[186] According to the U.S. Department of State, the Government of Angola is making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, including efforts to prevent child trafficking.[187]
The Inspector General of the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment, and Social Security (MAPESS) is responsible for enforcing labor laws.[188] Child labor complaints can be filed with the Ministry of Family and Women’s Affairs, which has principal responsibility for child welfare.[189] MAPESS maintains employment centers to screen out applicants under age 14. MAPESS has authority to levy fines and order restitution. There is no standard procedure for investigations or formal inspections.[190] Individuals may report child labor violations, but reports of child labor complaints are rare.[191]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
Since the end of the armed civil conflict in Angola in 2002, the Ministry of Social Assistance and Reintegration and UNICEF have been implementing a two-phase family verification program. UNICEF program activities for demobilizing and rehabilitating former child soldiers have included locating relatives, arranging transportation, and reuniting the children with their families. The programs also identify school and job training opportunities for former child soldiers and prepare local communities to accept children who had been engaged in armed conflict.[192] The ongoing second phase, focusing on family reunification efforts, identified 11,076 separated children and reunited 3,670 with their families as of March 2004.[193]
On June 30, 2004, a Transitional Coordination Unit officially replaced the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Unit is tasked with overseeing post-conflict social service coordination functions over 18 months and gradually transferring them to appropriate government bodies.[194]
In 2004, the Government of Angola concluded its national child registration campaign, which has documented 3.8 million children under the age of 18 years since August 2002.[195] By providing children with accurate, official age documentation, the government worked to stem the recruitment of underage children by traffickers, and ensure underage children were not admitted to the military.[196] In addition, 45,000 orphans or children living alone were reintegrated into family living situations.[197]
UNICEF and the Government of Angola expanded their existing Back-to-School campaign by recruiting and training 29,000 new primary school teachers for the 2004 school year.[198] As a result, student enrollment increased by nearly 1 million, primarily in grades 1 through 4.[199] The program is developing into Education for All.[200] In April 2004, the Ministry of Education held public consultations on the proposed National Plan of Action for Education for All.[201]
The World Food Program is involved in food-for-work programs including the reconstruction of schools and destroyed infrastructure, food-for-training projects for demobilized soldiers and their families,[202] and school feeding programs.[203] In March 2003, the World Bank approved a USD 33 million grant to provide services to underage soldiers in settlement communities.[204] Services include family tracing and reunification, trauma counseling and psychosocial care, and the facilitation of access to education, recreation, and vocational training for children over the age of 15.[205]
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