Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
| Ratified Convention 138 05/03/1979 |
X |
| Ratified Convention 182 03/25/2003 |
X |
| ILO-IPEC Associated Member |
X |
| National Plan for Children |
X |
| National Child Labor Action Plan |
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| Sector Action Plan |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 in Russia are unavailable. However, reports indicate that child labor is a problem in the informal sector.[3336] The breakup of the Soviet Union and the transition to a market economy have increased poverty levels in Russia, and in 2002, the World Bank reported that children had a higher poverty rate than the population as a whole.[3337] Economic downturn, the deterioration of social services, increase in domestic violence[3338] and the breakdown of family structures have led to an increase in the number of street children in the country.[3339] Estimates of the number of street children range from 100,000 to 150,000, with possibly 4 million additional children at risk of living on the streets.[3340] Homeless children often receive no education, are more susceptible to substance abuse, and frequently engaged in criminal activities, including prostitution, to survive.[3341] Without educational opportunities or family support, youth form or join gangs or groups and turn to crime.[3342] In 2004, seven persons were sentenced for acts involving the recruitment and sexual exploitation of children.[3343]
Children work in informal retail services, sell goods on the street, wash cars, make deliveries, collect trash,[3344] and beg.[3345] Children are trafficked globally for sexual exploitation from Russia,[3346] and are trafficked internally generally from rural to urban areas.[3347] There were reports of kidnapped or purchased children being trafficked for sexual exploitation, child pornography, or harvesting of body parts.[3348] There are confirmed cases of sex trafficking of children and child sex tourism in Russia, a major producer and distributor of child pornography over the internet.[3349]
There are reports that rebel forces in Chechnya recruit and use child soldiers. These forces also are using children to plant landmines and other explosives.[3350]
Although no law makes education compulsory, the Constitution holds parents responsible for ensuring their children receive basic education. Federal law stipulates free education to all children up to grade 11, but the Law on Education allows a child to finish school at the age of 14 with parental and government approval.[3351] In 2001-2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 114 percent.[3352] Net enrollment rates are unavailable for Russia.[3353] Gross 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 Russia.[3354] Most families pay additional fees for books and school supplies.[3355] Children of unregistered persons, asylum seekers, and migrants are frequently denied access to education by country and regional authorities.[3356] Poor regions struggle to maintain basic education requirements and receive little assistance from the Ministry of Education. Vocational education graduates often lack basic learning skills that would enable them to continue to learn and problem solve effectively.[3357]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Code sets the minimum age for regular employment at 16 years,[3358] and regulates the working conditions of children under 18, including bans on overtime, hazardous work, and night work.[3359] Children may work at ages 14 and 15 with parental approval, as long as such work does not threaten their health and welfare.[3360] The Constitution prohibits forced labor.[3361]
The government passed comprehensive legislation in December 2003 that criminalizes human trafficking, forced labor, the distribution of pornography, the recruitment of prostitutes, and the organization of a prostitution business.[3362] As of June 2004, investigations under this new legislation were being carried out, but there were no convictions reported.[3363] Articles 131, 132, 134 and 135 of the Penal Code prohibit forcing a minor under the age of 14 to engage in sex or any acts of perversion, while Article 151 of the Code prohibits involvement of a minor in prostitution.[3364] Article 152 prohibits Trade in Minors, defined as the purchasing or selling of a minor, or business regarding transfer or ownership of a minor and is punishable by compulsory work for 180 to 240 hours, correctional labor for 1 to 2 years or to 5 years of imprisonment.[3365] Article 135 has been used to prosecute child pornographers.[3366] There were reports of corrupt government officials facilitating human trafficking,[3367] including one organized crime group in the Ministry of Interior accused of protecting a prostitution business.[3368] The government has successfully prosecuted several criminals engaged in the production and distribution of child pornography.[3369]
The Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Ministry of Interior are responsible for the enforcement of child labor laws, but fail to do so effectively. The ministry reported that 12,000 child labor violations were registered in 2001, [3370] and that 36 children died in work-related accidents in 2002. The police attempt to address the issue of street children. In 2001, for example, 253,000 parents were cited for leaving children unsupervised. Some of these children were returned to their families and provided assistance from social workers, while in other cases, parents were denied custody or faced criminal charges.[3371]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Ministry of Health and Social Development continues to work with UNICEF to establish a number of regional child rights ombudsmen.[3372] The government has established a commission headed by the Minister of Health and Social Development to focus on child labor and education issues.[3373] The government has engaged in various awareness-raising efforts on the problem of trafficking, but has not provided budgetary support to trafficking prevention programs. Government officials collaborated with a local NGO to develop guidelines for Ministry of Interior employees working with children.
In 2004, the Government of Russia announced it would develop a central coordinating authority for all anti-trafficking policies.[3374] The government is also a member of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and works with other members to combat organized crime, including criminal activities concerning trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation of women and children.[3375] The government did not pass trafficking victim protection legislation in 2004. However, progress was made on draft legislation for a witness protection program. Currently, no specific legislation provides trafficking victims with assistance, protection, or referrals to assistance programs.[3376]
The Government of Russia is participating in the second phase of an ILO-IPEC project to rehabilitate working street children in St. Petersburg.[3377] The program has included awareness-raising workshops for local government officials and the development of policy recommendations for city government.[3378] The government is also participating in a new ILO-IPEC action program to provide at-risk children in the Leningrad Region with social, psychological, and educational services.[3379]
The Government of Russia’s Education for All plan seeks to improve the quality and accessibility of education to create better standards of living and increase the global competitiveness of Russia’s population.[3380]
The World Bank loaned Russia USD 30 million to implement an Education Reform Project that began in 2001 and will end in 2006. This project promotes better use of scarce funding for education, modernizes the structure of the education system, and improves the general quality and standards of education.[3381]
In 2004, Russia secured a loan for USD 100 million from the World Bank for an E-Learning Support Project.” The project will develop a system to electronically distribute and store learning materials for general education students,[3382] from grade 1 through 11,[3383] across Russia. It will support the training of teachers and administrators in new technologies and generate additional teacher training materials. Finally, this project will create a network of interschool resource centers to introduce vocational training in technology and allow centers to communicate with each other to support the e-learning system. This first phase of the government’s educational modernization program will last until 2008.[3384]
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