Research found no evidence that child labor exists in Dominica.

Barriers to Education Access

Civil society representatives report that some LGBTQIA+ students are bullied in schools. In addition, children with disabilities can face physical accessibility problems in some schools. Research indicates that during the reporting period, road conditions prevented students living in the Kalinago Territory from attending school on some days, as bus services were limited.

† Country has no standing military

Pursuant to Section 7(1) of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, children under age 18 are prohibited from working at night, unless they are working with family members. However, the law does not otherwise prohibit the employment of children in work that is likely to jeopardize their health, safety, or morals. Specifically, Dominica does not have national laws or regulations that comprehensively define the types of hazardous work prohibited for children nor has it established a sufficient minimum age of 18 for hazardous work. Moreover, Article 46 of the Education Act prohibits the employment of children ages 5 to 16 during the school year, but allows students ages 14 and older to work during school vacations or in school-sponsored employment training programs without defining the conditions, specific activities, or number of hours permissible for light work. In addition, laws related to child trafficking are not sufficient because they are limited to international human trafficking. The law does not sufficiently prohibit commercial sexual exploitation because the use of children in prostitution, pornography, and pornographic performances is not criminally prohibited. Further, the law criminalizing the use of children as carriers for drug trafficking is insufficient because it does not cover the use, procuring, and offering of children for the production and trafficking of drugs. Laws providing for free basic education do not meet international standards because they permit schools to charge tuition fees for some students who reside in Dominica but are not citizens.

In 2023, 2 labor inspectors conducted 38 worksite inspections, finding 0 child labor violations. The government also conducted 0 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, initiated 0 prosecutions, and convicted 0 perpetrators.

As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for a mechanism to coordinate efforts to address child labor.

As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for policies to address child labor.

For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
† Program is funded by the Government of Dominica.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.

Download the 2023 Bibliography