Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports
Argentina
Significant Advancement
In 2021, Argentina made significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government conducted and published a study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and child labor prevalence. It also reported completing more than 50 targeted actions outlined in the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which included measures to address child pornography. Meanwhile, the national coordination mechanism to eradicate child labor launched an action plan to improve government cooperation with the private sector in addressing child labor. Similarly, the Ministry of Labor enacted a new policy to improve anti-child labor coordination efforts at the sub-national level. However, children in Argentina are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and in illicit activities, such as the transport, sale, and distribution of drugs. Children also engage in dangerous tasks in agriculture. Moreover, the government does not publish complete information about its labor law enforcement efforts and the labor inspectorate remains understaffed to adequately address child labor issues in the country.
Children in Argentina are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and in illicit activities, such as the transport, sale, and distribution of drugs. Children also engage in dangerous tasks in agriculture. (1-6) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Argentina.
|
Children |
Age |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
|
Working (% and population) |
5 to 14 |
5.3 (371,771) |
|
Attending School (%) |
5 to 14 |
98.9 |
|
Combining Work and School (%) |
7 to 14 |
6.2 |
|
Primary Completion Rate (%) |
98.7 |
Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2018, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2022. (7)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from Encuesta de actividades de niñas, niños y adolescentes (EANNA), 2016–2017. (8)
Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children's work by sector and activity.
|
Sector/Industry |
Activity |
|---|---|
|
Agriculture |
Harvesting† blueberries, cotton, garlic, grapes, olives, onions, strawberries, and tomatoes (9-17) |
|
Harvesting† yerba mate (stimulant plant) and tobacco (9,14,18-23) |
|
|
Industry |
Production of garments (1,24) |
|
Production of bricks and wooden crates (1,9,25-28) |
|
|
Construction,† activities unknown (9,26) |
|
|
Services |
Street begging† and handing out flyers or promotional materials (9,14) |
|
Refuse collection, recycling, and garbage scavenging† (9,29) |
|
|
Caregiving,† including caring for other children, the elderly, or infirm people (9) |
|
|
Working and cooking in food service (9) |
|
|
Domestic work, including cleaning, doing laundry, and ironing (9,29) |
|
|
Yard work, including cutting lawns and pruning trees (9) |
|
|
Selling produce in grocery stores (14) |
|
|
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ |
Commercial sexual exploitation, including use in the production of pornography, sometimes as a result of human trafficking (4,9,30) |
|
Forced labor in agriculture and in the production of garments, charcoal, and bricks (4,14,30,31) |
|
|
Use in illicit activities, including transporting, selling and distributing drugs (2,9,32,33) |
|
|
Forced labor in domestic work and street vending (1,4,9,30) |
† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.
Although the extent of the problem is unknown, reports indicate that girls from Argentina’s northern provinces are victims of human trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. (1,3) Reports also indicate that Paraguayan children are victims of human trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation in Argentina. (1,34) Limited reporting also indicates that sex traffickers exploit minors participating in domestic youth sports clubs. (6,31) Children from primarily the northern provinces and from Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and other countries are used in forced labor in numerous sectors, including garment production, agriculture, street vending, charcoal and brick production, domestic work, and in small businesses. (3,6,28,31,35)
Misiones—producer of 90 percent of Argentina’s and 60 percent of the world’s yerba mate—is one of the provinces most affected by child labor. Children as young as age 5 help their parents harvest yerba mate, sometimes carrying heavy loads. (23) In Salta and Jujuy provinces, children harvest tobacco. (21,36)
In 2021, the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security (MTEySS) published results of a study, conducted in collaboration with the ILO and UNICEF, measuring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in the country. The study found that 46 percent of children between the ages of 13 and 17 and engaged in work began doing so as a result of the pandemic. (37-39) Of those that began working, 7 out of 10 resided in households that had experienced job loss or a reduction in working hours. (38,39) Overall, the study found that the rate of working children ages 13 to 17 had increased as a result of the pandemic, from 17 percent in November 2020 to 23 percent in October 2021. (5,40,41)
Argentina has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).
|
Convention |
Ratification |
|---|---|
|
ILO C. 138, Minimum Age |
✓ |
|
ILO C. 182, Worst Forms of Child Labor |
✓ |
|
UN CRC |
✓ |
|
UN CRC Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict |
✓ |
|
UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography |
✓ |
|
Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons |
✓ |
The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Argentina's legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including a gap between the minimum age for work and the compulsory education age.
|
Standard |
Meets International Standards |
Age |
Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Minimum Age for Work |
Yes |
16 |
Articles 2, 7, and 17 of the Prohibition of Child Labor and Protection of Adolescent Work Law; Article 9 of the Special Code on Contracting Domestic Workers; Article 25 of the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection Law; Articles 54 and 55 of the Law on Agrarian Work; Article 189 of the Employment Contract Law (42-46) |
|
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work |
Yes |
18 |
Article 10 of the Prohibition of Child Labor and Protection of Adolescent Work Law; Articles 176, 189, and 191 of the Law on Labor Contracts; Article 62 of the Law on Agrarian Work (44-46) |
|
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children |
Yes |
Article 1 of Executive Decree 1117/2016 on Dangerous Work (47) |
|
|
Prohibition of Forced Labor |
Yes |
Article 15 of the Constitution; Articles 1 and 24–26 of the Modifications to the Prevention of and Sanction Against Trafficking in Persons and Assistance to Victims Law; Article 9 of the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection Law (42,48,49) |
|
|
Prohibition of Child Trafficking |
Yes |
Articles 1, 25, and 26 of the Modifications to the Prevention of and Sanction Against Trafficking in Persons and Assistance to Victims Law; Article 9 of the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection Law (42,49) |
|
|
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children |
Yes |
Articles 1 and 21–23 of the Modifications to the Prevention of and Sanction Against Trafficking in Persons and Assistance to Victims Law; Article 6 of the Crimes Against Sexual Integrity Law; Article 128 of the Penal Code (49-51) |
|
|
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities |
Yes |
Article 11 of the Possession and Trafficking of Drugs Law (52) |
|
|
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment |
Yes |
18 |
Article 8 of the Voluntary Military Service Law (53) |
|
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military |
Yes* |
Article 19 of the Voluntary Military Service Law (53) |
|
|
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups |
Yes |
Article 10 of Law No. 26.200 (54) |
|
|
Compulsory Education Age |
Yes |
18 |
Articles 16 and 29 of the National Education Law; Article 2 of the Law on Early Education (55,56) |
|
Free Public Education |
Yes |
Articles 15 and 16 of the Child and Adolescent Rights Protection Law (42) |
* Country has no conscription (57)
The minimum age for work is lower than the compulsory education age, which may encourage children to leave school before the completion of compulsory education.
The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, gaps exist within the operations of the enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate enforcement of their child labor laws.
|
Organization/Agency |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security (MTEySS) |
Carries out labor law enforcement efforts in coordination with labor officials and authorities at the provincial level in each Argentine province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. (5,58) Enforces child labor laws in part through its Inspection Directorate of Child Labor, the Protection of Adolescent Work, and Indicators of Labor Exploitation (DITIAEIEL) and collaborates with the National Registry of Rural Workers and Employers (RENATRE) in enforcing child labor laws in the agricultural sector. (14) In addition, maintains a national hotline through which labor violations can be reported and leads the Network of Businesses Against Child Labor (Red de Empresas contra el Trabajo Infantil), a network of companies promoting best practices in the private sector to address child labor. Labor inspectors are tasked with enforcing laws related to child labor as part of MTEySS' broader enforcement strategy, the National Plan for the Regularization of Labor (Plan Nacional de Regularización del Trabajo [PNRT]). (14) A specific line of action in the PNRT is to detect and eradicate child labor and irregular adolescent work, so the standard operating procedure for inspections includes efforts to detect child labor violations. (14) |
|
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights |
Manages Line 145, the anonymous national hotline that allows the public to report suspected human trafficking cases. Through its Office of Rescue and Attention to Victims of Trafficking (Oficina de Programa de Rescate), provides emergency legal and other assistance to victims of labor and sex trafficking, including child victims. (14,59,60) Maintains regional offices that coordinate the provision of legal and social services to human trafficking victims in the provinces of Chaco, Chubut, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Rio Negro, and Santa Fe. (14,61) |
|
Public Prosecutor's Office |
Detects, investigates, and prosecutes cases of human trafficking and labor exploitation through its Special Prosecutor's Office for Human Trafficking and Exploitation (PROTEX). (62) |
|
Federal and National Immigration Police |
Conduct human trafficking investigations through the Trafficking in Persons Division. (14,63) Oversee the rights of migrants and assist in investigating cases of transnational human trafficking. (14) |
Labor Law Enforcement
In 2021, labor law enforcement agencies in Argentina took actions to combat child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the operations of the MTEySS that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including insufficient human resource allocation.
|
Overview of Labor Law Enforcement |
2020 |
2021 |
|---|---|---|
|
Labor Inspectorate Funding |
Unknown (14) |
Unknown |
|
Number of Labor Inspectors |
324 (14) |
357 (5) |
|
Mechanism to Assess Civil Penalties |
Yes (64) |
Yes (64) |
|
Initial Training for New Labor Inspectors |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to Child Labor |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Number of Labor Inspections Conducted |
19,034 (14) |
8,731 (5) |
|
Number Conducted at Worksite |
19,034 (14) |
8,731 (5) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations Found |
16 (14) |
11 (5) |
|
Number of Child Labor Violations for Which Penalties Were Imposed |
Unknown (14) |
11 (5) |
|
Number of Child Labor Penalties Imposed that Were Collected |
Unknown (14) |
Unknown |
|
Routine Inspections Conducted |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Routine Inspections Targeted |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Permitted |
Yes (64) |
Yes (64) |
|
Unannounced Inspections Conducted |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Complaint Mechanism Exists |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Labor Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
In 2021, MTEySS reported identifying 11 minors in conditions of labor exploitation as a result of routine labor inspections. Details about these and other child labor cases were not available. (30,41)
In addition to labor inspectors employed in MTEySS, provincial governments also employ their own local labor inspectors, though the total number for these inspectors is unknown. (5) Nonetheless, the number of national inspectors is still likely insufficient for the size of Argentina’s workforce, which includes over 12.3 million workers. According to the ILO’s technical advice of a ratio approaching 1 inspector for every 15,000 workers in developing economies, Argentina would employ about 1,391 labor inspectors. (65) The government does not report on the number of provincial inspectors, so the totals reflect only the number of federal inspectors; NGOs continue to report that the number is insufficient. (3,66) Moreover, the government does not publish labor enforcement data on the labor inspectorate budget or the total number of child labor penalties imposed or collected. (14,66)
MTEySS requires inspectors to refer victims of child labor to the Provincial Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor for social services assistance and its inspection protocol mandates that federal labor inspectors notify the relevant provincial child protection authorities after detecting a child labor violation. (3,66) Labor inspectors are also required to file a criminal complaint with the provincial courts of the relevant jurisdiction for any child labor violation detected. (3,9,66) MTEySS reported that its labor inspectors cooperated with law enforcement authorities in criminal matters resulting from the criminal complaints that inspectors filed after finding child labor violations. (3)
Criminal Law Enforcement
In 2021, criminal law enforcement agencies in Argentina took actions to combat child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including allocating insufficient human resources.
|
Overview of Criminal Law Enforcement |
2020 |
2021 |
|---|---|---|
|
Initial Training for New Criminal Investigators |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Training on New Laws Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Refresher Courses Provided |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Number of Investigations |
19 (14) |
16 (5) |
|
Number of Violations Found |
12 (14,67) |
10 (5) |
|
Number of Prosecutions Initiated |
9 (14) |
11 (5) |
|
Number of Convictions |
5 (14) |
6 (5) |
|
Imposed Penalties for Violations Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
|
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Criminal Authorities and Social Services |
Yes (14) |
Yes (5) |
The government reported that in 2021, it had implemented 67 of the "100 Actions Against Trafficking" outlined in Argentina's action plan to address human trafficking, including measures aimed at prevention, assisting victims, prosecuting criminals, and capacity building among agencies. (5,30) Four investigations in 2021 involved cases of child pornography, one of the target areas of the action plan. (30)
During the reporting period, a public officer from the city of Florencio Varela was sentenced to 13 years in prison in part for the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. (30) The government provided and participated in numerous trainings during the reporting period. The Special Prosecutor's Office for Human Trafficking and Exploitation (PROTEX) trained officials on the non-punishment of human trafficking victims and on the trafficking and smuggling of migrants while the Ministry of Tourism and Sports offered trainings on protecting children's and adolescents' rights in the tourism industry. (30)
Argentine law enforcement authorities report a lack of funding and resources. (31) Research has identified the need for the government to build the capacity of its judiciary and police to investigate cases of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. (68)
The government has established mechanisms to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including efficacy in accomplishing mandates.
|
Coordinating Body |
Role & Description |
|---|---|
|
National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor (CONAETI) |
Coordinates national efforts to monitor and eliminate child labor and implement the Third National Action Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and the Regulation of Adolescent Work. Led by the Secretariat of Promotion, Protection, and Technological Change and comprises 16 government agencies, representatives from UNICEF, International Labor Organization, industry associations, and labor unions. (5) During the reporting period, developed an interministerial plan in recognition of the “International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor” that focused on interministerial coordination, territorial action, tripartite social dialogue, and institutionalized approaches to the issue of child labor. Also developed the Labor‐Free Childhoods Program. (5) |
|
Coordination of Child Labor Eradication and Adolescent Work Protection Policies |
A dependent unit at the Under-secretariat for Politics of Inclusion in Labor at MTEySS, designs public policies on child labor; plans and implements the 2021 Interministerial Plan; carries out assistance programs and trainings; develops public campaigns and communication efforts; coordinates different areas of MTEySS dedicated to child labor‐related issues; represents the Ministry at international events and affairs; cooperates on enforcing the legal framework regarding child labor; and presides over CONAETI. (5) During the reporting period, the coordinating body worked on the implementation of the 2021 Interministerial Plan and launched the Federal Strengthening Program for the Eradication of Child Labor. (5) The coordinating body also launched its 2021 Action Plan for the Businesses Against Child Labor Network, an effort to improve government cooperation with the private sector in preventing and eradicating child labor. (69) |
|
Inspection Directorate of Child Labor, Protection of Adolescent Work and Indications of Labor Exploitation (DITIAEIEL) |
Formerly the Coordinating Body for the Prevention of Child Labor and Regulation of Adolescent Work (COODITIA) and elevated to a directorate level within MTEySS in 2020, implements inspections to detect child labor and irregular adolescent labor; verifies the conditions of adolescent labor; monitors labor exploitation of children and adolescents; trains inspectors from MTEySS and from the subnational units; promotes the creation of special inspection units; and provides technical assistance to labor inspectors. (5) As part of 2021 efforts to commemorate World Day Against Child Labor, DITIAEIEL carried out punitive inspections targeting child labor violators and worked to implement improvements to the inspection process. (70) |
|
Provincial Committees for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor (COPRETIs) |
Created under a cooperative agreement between MTEySS and the Federal Work Council, coordinate activities implemented at a provincial level and coordinate between government, business, union, and civil society stakeholders within their respective provinces to implement actions to combat child labor at a local level. There are 24 COPRETIs, one for each province, including the City of Buenos Aires. (5,71) During the reporting period, the government launched the Federal Support Program for the Eradication of Child Labor, a grant project aimed at improving COPRETI collaboration with civil society, labor unions, and businesses in order to identify appropriate intervention measures in regions or supply chains at risk of employing child labor. (72) After a pilot program the prior year, in 2021 COPRETI continued its cooperation with the Argentinean Blueberry Committee to implement the first social compliance system in Argentina's agricultural sector, which includes public awareness campaigns, monitoring and prevention mechanisms, and child care centers at worksites. (73) |
|
Executive Committee for the Fight Against Trafficking and Exploitation of People and the Protection and Assistance of Victims |
National coordinating body on government anti‐trafficking in persons policies comprising the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the Ministry of Security; the Ministry of Social Development; the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity; and MTEySS. (5) In 2021, the coordinating body began implementing the newly drafted and published national biennial action plan against trafficking in persons, named “100 Actions Against Human Trafficking.” (5,30) |
Research indicates that coordination to provide services to child victims of commercial sexual exploitation is ineffective, obstructing full implementation of some programs, and causing some programs' objectives and target groups to overlap. (75) The National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor has acknowledged that one of the central areas of concern for the committee was the need to strengthen cooperation between national- and provincial-level governments. (76)
The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including a lack of publicly available information on activities taken under each policy during the reporting period.
|
Policy |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Third National Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and the Regulation of Adolescent Work (2018–2022) |
Aims to prevent and eliminate child labor, including its worst forms, and to regulate adolescent work. Promotes the dissemination of information on child labor, creates local roundtables on child labor, promotes families’ livelihoods, strengthens the labor inspectorate, fosters civil society engagement on child labor issues, provides for a more inclusive educational system, raises awareness of the safety and health implications of child labor, and promotes institutional and legislative strengthening for child labor issues. (9,77,78). All coordinating and policy activities carried out during the reporting period were conducted under the purview of the national action plan. (5) |
|
Federal Strengthening Program for the Eradication of Child Labor† |
Established through Labor Ministry Resolution 268/2021 in 2021, targets leaders at the sub‐national level who can improve the effectiveness of preventative strategies and the detection of child labor and unprotected irregular adolescent work. (5,79) Aims to develop coordinated actions among the Provincial Committees on the Eradication of Child Labor (COPRETIs), civil society organizations, labor unions, and companies both in common geographic areas and productive sectors that show high risks of child labor. (5) |
|
2021 Interministerial Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor |
Established in 2021 under the framework of the United Nations’ “International Year for the Eradication of Child Labor (2021),” encourages UN Member States to create and implement policies that prevent, raise awareness of, and eradicate child labor. (41) |
|
Interagency Agreement for Prevention of Child Labor and Protection of the Adolescent Worker |
Collaborative agreement between MTEySS and the Ministry of Education to integrate child labor prevention and protection of adolescent workers in curricula and teacher training courses. (9,80) Research was unable to determine whether activities were undertaken to implement this policy during the reporting period. |
|
Biennial National Plan Against Human Trafficking and Exploitation, and for Protection and Assistance of Victims (TIP Action Plan 2020–2022) |
Approved by the Federal Council to Fight Human Trafficking and to Protect and Assist Victims, focuses on prevention, prosecution, and protection of human trafficking victims and incorporates an institutional goal of fortifying interagency coordination, including by establishing a unified database on human trafficking victims. The Federal Council coordinates the plan's implementation and includes NGO representation in its meetings. (5) The government continued implementing the plan during the reporting period. (5,30) |
† Policy was approved during the reporting period.
‡ The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor. (81-83)
In 2021, the government funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including the inadequacy to address the problem in all sectors.
|
Program |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Universal Child Allowance Program (Asignación Universal)† |
Government program funded in part by the World Bank that provides a cash transfer to unemployed parents and workers in the informal economy, contingent upon parents’ fulfillment of health and education requirements for their children. (9,84) During the reporting period, the government increased the payment amount to beneficiaries by 8.07 percent and in early 2022 announced plans for further increases. (85,86) |
|
National Registry of Rural Workers and Employers (RENATRE) Awareness-Raising Campaigns† |
RENATRE campaigns that raise awareness of child labor in agriculture and inform families and children of the right to education. (87) During the reporting period, RENATRE hosted a virtual seminar that included government, private sector, and labor union representatives to discuss and analyze the role of social protection mechanisms in the effort to combat child labor. (88) RENATRE also took part in the first Virtual South-South Exchange on the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor in 2021 hosted by Peru. (89) |
|
Good Harvest Program* |
Reconstituted in 2021 under a MTEySS resolution, aims to provide childcare facilities and services for migrant and rural families involved in seasonal harvests to prevent child labor. (90,91) In addition to formalizing the program under MTEySS and granting it an operating budget, the 2021 resolution also extended the qualifying age for children to receive services from ages 16 to 18. (91) |
|
National Campaign Against Child Labor in Brickmaking† |
Launched in 2017 by MTEySS and the Argentine Brick Workers Union (UOLRA), aims to develop policies that improve labor inspections in this sector and to better support brick workers, so their children do not have to work. (92,93) During the reporting period, UOLRA continued its public awareness campaign titled "The Only Privileged Ones are Children." (94) |
|
USDOL-Funded Projects |
Project to Promote Workplace-Based Training for Vulnerable Youth in Argentina (Noemi Project) (2016–2022), $3.3 million project implemented by Centro de Desarrollo y Autogestión (DyA); "P.A.R. Project": Multi-Stakeholder Strategy for Child Labor Elimination in Agriculture in Argentina (2019–2022), $2.5 million project implemented by DyA; "Offside Project": Improving the Capacity of Labor and Agriculture Stakeholders to Address Child Labor in Agricultural Areas of Argentina Project (2019-2022), $2.5 million project implemented by ILO; Measurement, Awareness-Raising, and Policy Engagement (MAP16) (2016-2022), global project implemented by ILO; Promoting Apprenticeship as a Path for Youth Employment in Argentina, Costa Rica, and Kenya through Global Apprenticeships Network (GAN) National Networks (2016-2021), $3.3 million multi-country project; Attaining Lasting Change (ATLAS) (2019-2023), $8 million global program implemented by Winrock International; and Evidence to Action: Increasing the Impact of Research to Mobilize Efforts against Forced Labor (2019-2022), $3 million project implemented by the ILO. (95-101) Additional information is available on the USDOL website. |
* Program was launched during the reporting period.
† Program is funded by the Government of Argentina.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (102,103)
Research has identified the need for the government to increase funding for shelters and assistance to girl victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. (66) Research found no evidence of social programs that specifically target children engaged in street begging and performing, windshield washing, and guarding parked cars, despite the prevalence of these activities that are designated as hazardous for children.
Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Argentina (Table 11).
|
Area |
Suggested Action |
Year(s) Suggested |
|---|---|---|
|
Legal Framework |
Raise the minimum age for work to the age up to which education is compulsory. |
2018 – 2021 |
|
Enforcement |
Increase the number of labor inspectors responsible for enforcing laws on child labor to meet the ILO’s technical advice. |
2015 – 2021 |
|
Publish information on the labor inspectorate budget, the number of child labor violations identified for which penalties were imposed, and the number of child labor penalties imposed that were collected. |
2015 – 2021 |
|
|
Ensure law enforcement officials have adequate funding and resources to carry out their operations. |
2021 |
|
|
Strengthen the capacity of Argentina's judiciary and police to investigate human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation cases. |
2019 – 2021 |
|
|
Coordination |
Improve government coordination, particularly between national and local government entities, in the provision of services to victims of all forms of child labor, including for children subjected to commercial sexual exploitation. |
2017 – 2021 |
|
Government Policies |
Publish information on activities taken under key policies to address child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. |
2018 – 2021 |
|
Social Programs |
Develop specific programs that target child labor in sectors in which child labor is prevalent, including street begging. |
2018 – 2021 |
|
Increase funding for shelters and assistance to girl victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. |
2020 – 2021 |
- U.S. Embassy- Buenos Aires. Reporting. February 13, 2019.
- Clarin. Narcos, soldaditos rehenes y muerte en uno de los barrios más peligrosos del GBA. September 30, 2018.
https://www.clarin.com/policiales/narcos-soldaditos-rehenes-muerte-barrios-peligrosos-gba_0_8DZb-Pnqh.html - U.S. Embassy- Buenos Aires. Reporting. January 14, 2020.
- U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2020: Argentina. Washington, D.C., June 2020.
https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/argentina/ - U.S. Embassy- Buenos Aires. Reporting. January 20, 2022.
- U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2021: Argentina. Washington, D.C., July 1, 2021.
https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/argentina/ - UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes (%). Accessed March 3, 2022. For more information, please see “Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions” in the Reference Materials section of this report.
http://data.uis.unesco.org/ - ILO. Analysis of Child Economic Activity and School Attendance Statistics from National Household or Child Labor Surveys. Original data from Encuesta de actividades de niñas, niños y adolescentes (EANNA), 2016–2017. Analysis received March 2022. Please see “Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions” in the Reference Materials section of this report.
- U.S. Embassy- Buenos Aires. Reporting. January 12, 2018.
- El Litoral. Condena inedita en un caso de trabajo infantil en la provincia. December 14, 2018.
https://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/id_um/186050-condena-inedita-en-un-caso-de-trabajo-infantil-en-la-provincia-los-ninos-tenian-entre-12-y-16-anos-politica.html - La Capital. La provincia denunció por trabajo infantil a una empresa productora de arándanos. January 20, 2017.
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https://www.apama.com.ar/noticias/2545_que-hace-el-sector-del-arandano-para-prevenir-el-trabajo-infantil-en-argentina.html - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA). Guía de recursos para niñas, niños y adolescentes 2018. Consejo de los Derechos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes, 2018. Source on file.
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Noticia de: El Litoral (www.ellitoral.com) [Link:https://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/id_um/338727-anses-ayuda-escolar-para-asignacion-universal-por-hijo-nuevo-complemento-y-aumentos-confirmados-tambien-otros-beneficios-economia-febrero-2022.html] Noticia de: El Litoral (www.ellitoral.com) [Link:https://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/id_um/338727-anses-ayuda-escolar-para-asignacion-universal-por-hijo-nuevo-complemento-y-aumentos-confirmados-tambien-otros-beneficios-economia-febrero-2022.html] - U.S. Embassy- Buenos Aires official. E-mail communication to USDOL official. June 21, 2019.
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https://www.argentina.gob.ar/educacion/progresar
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