Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 2/11/1999 |
X |
| Ratified Convention 182 7/25/2001 |
X |
| ILO-IPEC Member |
X |
| National Plan for Children |
X |
| National Child Labor Action Plan |
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| Sector Action Plan (trafficking) |
X |
Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
The ILO estimated that 40.4 percent of children ages 10 to 14 were working in Burkina Faso in 2001.[689] Most working children are found in agriculture, gold washing and mining, and informal sector activities; significant numbers of girls are found in vending and domestic service.[690]
Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked children.[691] Studies indicate that a significant proportion of trafficking activity is internal.[692] Children are trafficked into Burkina Faso’s two largest cities, Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou, to work as domestic servants, street vendors, in agriculture, and in prostitution.[693] Children from Burkina Faso are trafficked into Côte d’Ivoire to work on cocoa plantations and also to Benin, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.[694] However, the number of Burkinabe children trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire is reported to have declined due to a border closing following the September 2002 rebellion, with many children going instead to Benin or to Mali to work on rice plantations or study in Islamic schools. Burkina Faso also receives children trafficked from Benin, Mali, and Togo, and serves as transit point for children trafficked from Mali to Côte d’Ivoire.[695] Boys are trafficked within and into Burkina Faso for forced agricultural labor, domestic service, metal working, and mining.[696]
The Education Act made schooling compulsory from age 6 to 16.[697] In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 47.5 percent.[698] In 2001, the net primary enrollment rate was 35.0 percent (41.0 percent for boys and 28.9 percent for girls).[699] School enrollment and literacy rates for girls are lower in rural regions than in urban areas.[700] 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. The Government of Burkina Faso reported that the attendance rate for the 2002-2003 school year was 43.4 percent.[701] By law, education is free and compulsory, but communities are frequently responsible for constructing primary school buildings and teachers’ housing. Even when schools are present, many families cannot afford the cost of sending a child to school.[702]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Code sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years, but children under 14 years may perform light work for up to 4.5 hours per day in the domestic and agricultural sectors; other light work is permitted for children under the age of 12.[703] Children may start working full-time at age 14, but are required to remain in school until the age of 16. [704] Slavery and slavery-like practices, inhumane and cruel treatment, physical or emotional abuse of children are forbidden by the Burkinabe Constitution,[705] and forced labor is forbidden by the Labor Code.[706] In 2003, the National Assembly adopted anti-trafficking in persons legislation that proscribes child trafficking for any purpose.[707] The Penal Code forbids direct and indirect involvement in the prostitution of persons, and explicitly prohibits the prostitution of persons less than 18 years of age.[708] Contributing to the corruption or debauchery of a minor is also illegal.[709] Penalties specified for these crimes also apply even the offenses are committed in different countries.[710]
The Directorate of Work Inspection and the Labor Health and Security, Child Labor and Trafficking Division at the Ministry of Labor enforce child labor laws,[711] and the national police, gendarmes, customs service, and labor inspectors are responsible for investigating child labor violations.[712] However, the government has minimal resources to enforce child labor laws.[713]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
Burkina Faso is one of nine countries participating in the USDOL-funded ILO-IPEC project to combat the trafficking of children for exploitative labor in West and Central Africa.[714] The Government of Burkina Faso continues to participate in USD 3 million USDOL-funded education initiative in Burkina Faso to promote education for victims of child trafficking and children at risk of being trafficked.[715] The Ministry of Basic Education and Literacy actively supports this project and participated in a workshop in October 2003 to refine the project design.[716]
In provinces where child labor and child trafficking are problems, the government is establishing watch committees, which include representatives of industries where child labor is found, the police, NGOs, and social welfare agencies.[717] During the past year, the government has conducted awareness raising activities on child labor and child trafficking, which include organizing workshops and producing a television series and films on child labor.[718] Also during the past year, the government, in collaboration with the United States, sponsored a one-year project to train law enforcement officials to handle trafficking cases.[719] The government has negotiated an agreement with IOM and UNICEF to repatriate child trafficking victims from other countries.[720]
The Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity operates a Center for Specialized Education and Training that currently serves boys referred by the Ministry of Justice and boys with behavioral problems who are sent to the Center by their parents.[721] UNICEF works with the government to fund the construction of satellite schools and non-formal basic education centers, the promotion of community participation in schooling, and strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Education.[722] The Ministry of Basic Education is working with Catholic Relief Services and the World Bank on a school health program.[723] The government promotes primary education for girls by encouraging scholarships from donors, school feeding programs, and information campaigns to change attitudes towards sending girls to school.[724]
The Government of Burkina Faso is implementing a 10-Year Basic Education Development Plan (2001-2010) as part of its Poverty Reduction Strategy supported by the World Bank.[725] The plan focuses on improving primary school enrollment, literacy, and school attendance rates.[726] Burkina Faso has been formally endorsed for funding through the Education For All – Fast Track Initiative process, and as part of its efforts, has classified 20 provinces with low enrollment for priority action.[727]
In September 2004, the government adopted a National Plan of Action to combat child trafficking.[728] In June 2004, the Governments of Burkina Faso and Mali signed a bilateral agreement to combat cross-border child trafficking.[729]
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