Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified ILO Convention 138 12/3/2001 |
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| Ratified ILO Convention 182 12/3/2001 |
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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 |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
The ILO estimated that 21.4 percent of children ages 10 to 14 years in Mauritania were working in 2002.[2587] In rural areas, children traditionally perform family tasks as a means of survival. Activities include farming, herding, and fishing.[2588] Children perform a wide range of urban informal activities, such as street work and domestic work, as well as work as cashiers,[2589] dishwashers in restaurants, car washers,[2590] and apprentices in garages.[2591] In addition, some children living with marabouts, or Koranic teachers, are forced to beg, sometimes for over 12 hours a day.[2592]
Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 14.[2593] In 2001, the gross primary enrollment rate was 86.5 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 66.7 percent.[2594] 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 2000, the gross primary school attendance rate was 92.8 percent and the net primary attendance rate was 60.6 percent.[2595] However, a lack of adequate school facilities and teachers, particularly in rural areas, is likely to impede the full realization of the government’s goal of universal primary education in Mauritania until at least 2007.[2596]
Public school is free, but other costs such as books and lunches make education unaffordable for many poor children.[2597] Ongoing challenges to the provision of quality education in Mauritania include high dropout and repetition rates, inadequate curriculum,[2598] and a poor national infrastructure, which prevents children from traveling to and from schools.[2599] In 2002, a WFP survey of out-of-school children in Mauritania found that 25 percent did not attend school due to the need to support their families or perform domestic work, and another 22 percent did not attend due to the distance to school.[2600]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The 2004 Labor Code sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years, and defines what the government considers to be worst forms of child labor.[2601] The Labor Law also prohibits forced and compulsory labor[2602] and sets 18 years as the minimum age for work requiring excessive force, or that could harm the health, safety, or morals of children.[2603] The Criminal Code establishes strict penalties for engaging in prostitution or procuring prostitutes, ranging from fines to imprisonment for 2 to 5 years for cases involving minors.[2604] The Law Against Human Trafficking expands the scope of trafficking for cases involving children.[2605] Fines for violation of the law include 5 to 10 years of forced labor and a fine.[2606] In addition, the Criminal Code sets a penalty of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment for the use of fraud or violence to abduct minors.[2607]
The Ministry of Labor and Employment is the primary agency responsible for enforcing child labor laws and regulations. The Ministry has an institutional mechanism in place to receive child labor complaints. However, the labor inspectorate lacks the capacity to investigate and address potential violations due to a lack of resources. There are eight labor inspectors assigned to cover the entire country, and they are reported to lack adequate vehicles, telephones, and other requisite equipment.[2608]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Mauritania held public awareness campaigns on radio, television and newspaper to publicize provisions in the new Labor Code and Law Against Human Trafficking.[2609] The government is also implementing a program aimed at increasing school attendance among street children.[2610]
The Government of Mauritania continues to implement its current educational plan, adopted in 1999, which is intended to run for 15 years. The plan aims to provide all children with 10 years of basic schooling (elementary plus the first secondary level), followed by training opportunities tailored to the requirements of the labor market.[2611]
In 2004, the Government of Mauritania provided USD 20.2 million to match USD 16.1 million provided by donors under the Education For All Fast Track Initiative program. Efforts to promote access to quality education include the increased use of multi-grade classrooms, the provision of allowances for teachers in remote schools, and improvements in the teacher to student ratio.[2612] The World Bank is assisting the government to achieve education sector goals through a USD 49.2 million education loan project aimed at increasing enrollment, particularly among girls and in low-performing regions, among other activities.[2613] The government is also receiving funds from the African Development Bank for a 5-year education sector improvement project, including the promotion of girls’ and women’s education and literacy, and increased government capacity for education planning and management.[2614]
WFP is implementing a school feeding program intended to increase school enrollment, particularly among girls.[2615] UNICEF is also supporting the government’s education sector reforms, with a particular focus on adolescent girls’ enrollment, improving parent and student associations, and assisting children who have never attended school or who have dropped out.[2616]
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