Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 6/9/1980 |
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| Ratified Convention 182 10/25/2001 |
X |
| ILO-IPEC Member |
X |
| National Plan for Children |
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| National Child Labor Action Plan |
X |
| Sector Action Plan |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
The Honduran National Institute of Statistics estimated that 9.2 percent of children in Honduras ages 5 to 14 years were working in 2002.[1971] According to a 2003 national survey, the majority of working children ages 5 to 14 are employed in agriculture, forestry, hunting, or fishing.[1972] Working children are also employed in manufacturing, mining, electricity, gas, construction, transportation, or service industries.[1973] Children are also employed as domestic servants,[1974] and there are isolated instances of children under the legal working age in the maquila sector.[1975] Most children work out of economic necessity for their own families in the informal sector, often in rural areas.[1976]
According to the Government of Honduras, the worst forms of child labor in Honduras include: commercial sexual exploitation (particularly in major cities and the tourist sector along the North Coast); fireworks manufacturing (in Copán); marine diving (on lobster boats in the Mosquitia coast); work in limestone quarries and garbage dumps (in the two large cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula); mining and dirt extraction (South and East regions); the sale and handling of pesticides (Copán, La Ceiba, and Choluteca); construction; and agricultural work (in the coffee and melon industries).[1977] Children are also involved in the harvesting of sugar cane,[1978] and have been involved in the sale of drugs in Olancho and Comayagua.[1979]
There is evidence of child prostitution in Honduras, particularly in tourist and border areas.[1980] The U.S. Department of State reported that observers have identified over 1,000 victims in 2003.[1981] Honduras serves as a source and transit country for girls trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Honduran girls are trafficked internally and to the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and other Central American countries for the purpose of prostitution.[1982] Children have also been reportedly trafficked to Canada for prostitution and the sale of drugs.[1983]
Education is free and compulsory[1984] in Honduras until the age of 13.[1985] In 2001, the gross primary enrollment rate was 105.8 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 87.5 percent.[1986] 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. Recent primary school attendance statistics are not available for Honduras. Among working children, an estimated 34 percent complete primary school.[1987] In May 2004, the Honduran National Institute of Statistics reported that the average number of years of schooling for all Hondurans is 5.5 years (6.9 years in urban areas and approximately 4.1 years in rural areas). Women have an average of 5.6 years of primary education and men have an average of 5.3 years of primary education.[1988] The government estimated that 125,000 children ages of 7 to 12 years fail to receive an education. Of the 125,000, the government estimates that nearly 10,000 will never attend primary school.[1989] In 2003, the government allocated 26.9 percent of its total yearly expenditure to education, including salaries of teachers and administrators.[1990]
A lack of schools prevents many children in Honduras from receiving an education, particularly for preschool and middle school students, as do costs such as enrollment fees, school uniforms, and transportation costs. The poor quality of education and the lack of vocational education have been other areas of concern.[1991]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Code and the Constitution set the minimum age for employment at 16 years.[1992] According to the Labor Code and the Children’s Code, children ages 14 to 15 years are permitted to work with parental consent and Ministry of Labor permission. Before granting permission, the Ministry of Labor must conduct a home study to verify there is a need for the child to work and the conditions will be non-hazardous.[1993] If a child 14 to 15 years is hired, an employer must certify that he or she has finished, or is finishing, compulsory schooling.[1994] The Children's Code prohibits a child younger than 14 years of age from working, even with parental permission,[1995] and establishes fines between USD 273 and USD 1,366, as well as prison sentences of 3 to 5 years for individuals who allow or oblige children to work illegally. Fines double if the firm is a repeat offender.[1996] Children under the age of 16 are prohibited from working at night and in clubs, theaters, circuses, cafes, bars, in establishments that serve alcoholic beverages, or in jobs that have been determined to be unhealthy or dangerous.[1997] Hazardous work defined by Honduran law includes standing on high scaffolding, using toxic substances, painting with industrial or lead paint, diving underwater, working in tunnels or underground, working with wood cutting machines, ovens, smelters, or heavy presses, and exposure to vehicular traffic, loud noise, high voltage electrical currents, and garbage.[1998] Children ages 16 to 17 years may only work 6 hours per day.[1999]
The Children’s Code protects children 18 years and younger against sexual exploitation, child prostitution, child pornography, and incitement to participate in illegal activities, and mandates 3 to 5 years imprisonment and fines for violators.[2000] The Penal Code punishes those who promote or facilitate prostitution, or corrupt others with 5 to 8 years imprisonment. The sentence is increased by one-half if the victim is under 18 years.[2001] Honduran law also includes provisions that prohibit trafficking in persons, which can carry 6 to 18 years of imprisonment, as well as fines.[2002] However, according to the U.S. Department of State, prosecution and law enforcement efforts are weak due to inadequate police and court systems, corruption, and lack of resources.[2003]
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MOLSS) is responsible for conducting child labor inspections.[2004] The country’s 119 labor inspectors report violations for administrative action, but may not sanction employers; courts are responsible for determining sanctions.[2005] The Labor Code is more effectively enforced in urban areas and large-scale manufacturing and services,[2006] although violations occur frequently in rural areas or at small companies.[2007] Despite these challenges, the ministry opened a regional office and reinitiated inspections on lobster boats in the Mosquitia area in 2001, where boat captains illegally employ boy divers. Also in 2001, the MOLSS began to conduct special inspections of the melon industry to uncover the incidence of child labor,[2008] and continues to do so in the melon and sugar cane sectors.[2009]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Honduras, through its National Commission for the Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor,[2010] is currently participating in a number of ILO-IPEC projects. These include a USDOL-funded project to prevent and remove children from full-time work in commercial coffee farms in Santa Barbara,[2011] as well as two USDOL-funded regional projects aimed at combating child labor in commercial agriculture[2012] and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.[2013] Also with technical assistance from ILO-IPEC and funding from USDOL, the Honduras National Institute of Statistics is working in consultation with the MOLSS to conduct a national child labor survey.[2014] With funding from donors such as Spain, Canada, and Italy, ILO-IPEC is carrying out projects aimed at raising awareness, collecting information, and providing direct services to children involved in domestic work in the homes of third parties,[2015] in the lobster diving industry, and in garbage dump scavenging.[2016] In addition, the Government of Honduras is participating in a USD 5.5 million USDOL-funded regional project implemented by CARE to combat child labor through education.[2017]
In March 2004, a National Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was officially established.[2018] In conjunction with UNICEF, the Government of Honduras has begun a public information campaign against trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and has tried to raise awareness of children and women’s rights and risks associated with illegal migration.[2019]
The government has initiated several programs in order to improve children’s access to quality basic education. Since 1995, USAID has funded the Ministry of Education’s Educatodos program, which aims to provide quality education and literacy programs for children and young adults who are excluded from or have dropped out of formal school.[2020] The Ministry of Education makes available radio and long distance learning for children in rural areas with few schools and provides disadvantaged families with stipends for school supplies. Regional committees of child defense volunteers also try to encourage parents to send their children to school.[2021] The Ministry of Education has developed an Education for All plan to increase access to primary education; improve the quality of pre-school and primary education by encouraging new teaching methods, improving curriculum, and reducing dropout rates, repetition, and desertion; reduce illiteracy; and expand basic education services and training in essential skills for youth.[2022] By January 2004, Honduras was formally endorsed for financial support through the Education for All Fast Track Initiative process.[2023] In June 2004, the World Bank announced its Poverty Reduction Support Credit in Honduras, which supports community-based school management, including local education development associations.[2024]
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