† 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.

Children at Higher Risk

Children living in border provinces of Burundi—notably Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Kayanza, Kirundo, and Muyinga—and especially Batwa children, are particularly vulnerable to child labor and forced labor.

In addition, due to socio-economic pressure, many children, particularly those from poverty-stricken rural areas, leave school to engage in seasonal labor. In regions such as Makamba and Rutana, some children abandon school to work in agriculture or fishing. Children from economically disadvantaged communities are also vulnerable to human trafficking. Traffickers recruit children, often with fraudulent job offers and sometimes with the support of relatives and the broader community, for exploitation within Burundi and in neighboring countries, particularly in Tanzania, where they are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor in farming, and in Kenya and Gulf countries, where they are used as domestic servants.

Finally, children on the move face increased risks of child labor and forced labor. Whether they are returning refugees, notably from Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Africa, displaced by natural disasters or conflict events, or recently repatriated trafficking victims, mostly from Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they are vulnerable to exploitation and are subjected to domestic servitude, forced construction work, or commercial sexual exploitation.

Barriers to Education Access

Burundi continues to maintain a policy that is significantly detrimental to its advancement in eliminating child labor. In 2020, Burundi's Ministry of Education issued a ministerial ordinance that calls for the expulsion of students who become pregnant or those who cause a pregnancy, among other offenses. While both girls and boys must enroll in a different school than the one they left, girls expelled under this policy may only re-enroll in school when their child is at least 12 months old and not older than 24 months old. The additional restrictions on girls' re-enrollment are discriminatory and, in combination with societal pressures, result in very few girls returning to school to complete their education after giving birth. While the intent of this education policy is to encourage children to stay in school, it has the effect of excluding girls from educational opportunities and increasing their vulnerability to child labor.

Additionally, while primary education from grade one to grade nine is free and compulsory, this requirement is not enshrined in law; rather, it has been maintained as a policy via presidential decree for the past decade. The result has been lower rates of enrollment and retention. Other barriers to primary and secondary education include school fees, long distances to schools, a lack of school infrastructure and classroom materials, a shortage of trained teachers, the requirement to present a birth certificate for enrollment, and the lack of sanitation facilities. These obstacles affect in particular children from rural areas, children with disabilities, minorities, and girls.

* Country has no conscription
‡ Age calculated based on available information

Although Burundi's Constitution and Labor Code broadly prohibit the use of children in armed conflict, the Penal Code criminalizes the use of children in armed conflict only if they are under age 15, leaving children between the ages of 15 and 18 vulnerable to this worst form of child labor. In addition, it does not appear that there are any laws that establish compulsory education. Even though there is a presidential decree that provides for compulsory education to age 15, that age is lower than the minimum age for work, leaving children between the ages of 15 and 16 vulnerable to labor exploitation. Moreover, the Law on Basic and Secondary Education states that free education will be guaranteed as established by decree, but research was unable to locate the relevant decree. In addition, the Law on Basic and Secondary Education calls on parents to finance education, which suggests that educational officials or schools are permitted to levy fees.

In 2024, 43 labor inspectors conducted 720 worksite inspections. It is unknown how many child labor violations were found. The government also conducted 183 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, initiated 31 prosecutions, and convicted 28 perpetrators, including 27 traffickers sentenced to terms of imprisonment.

* 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.

* Program was launched during the reporting period.
‡ Program is funded by the Government of Burundi.
† The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of preventing child labor.

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