‡ 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

Boys perform physically arduous tasks herding in the grasslands and mountains, and they risk occupational injury and disease from exposure to dangerous tools and chemicals. Traffickers exploit Swati and Mozambican boys in forced labor in agriculture, including cattle herding. Injuries sustained during livestock herding include open wounds, fractures, dislocations, sprains, fever, extreme fatigue, and snake bites. Human traffickers abroad lure orphaned and vulnerable girls from poor families into sexual exploitation through promises of employment. Orphans are vulnerable to exploitation due to the lack of parental support and HIV/AIDS-related health issues.

Barriers to Education Access

The government provides free primary education for all Swati children from grades 1 through 7 and subsidizes secondary education for some of the approximately 70 percent of Eswatini's children who are orphaned or vulnerable. However, barriers exist to receiving subsidized education, including challenges in applying for and obtaining documentation. Some parents do not register their children at birth, and sometimes schools did not admit children without identification. Secondary school fees are also a barrier for students whose families lack funds to sustain their enrollment. Some primary schools charge students extra fees not sanctioned by the Ministry of Education and Training. The government does not provide free primary education grants to non-citizens. In addition, many areas need teachers and rural residents have difficulty accessing transportation, especially during the rainy season. Pregnancy and sexual violence represented barriers to education for girls. Children with disabilities experienced unequal education access including a lack of trained teachers.

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

Section 10 of the Free Primary Education Act requires parents to send their children to school through grade seven, when children are typically ages 12 to 13. As a result, children who complete grade seven are vulnerable to child labor because they are not required to be in school but also cannot legally work until they turn 15 years old, the minimum age for unrestricted work. Under international standards, free basic education should be provided for 9 years and include lower secondary education. The Free Primary Education Act, however, only funds schooling for citizens for 7 years, which may increase the risk of children's involvement in the worst forms of child labor. Laws related to commercial sexual exploitation of children also do not meet international standards because the use of children in prostitution is not criminalized.

In addition, the law does not prohibit children from engaging in all hazardous jobs in Eswatini. For example, the Employment Law does not cover herding, for which there is evidence of exposure to dangerous substances and temperatures. In addition, reports indicate that local traditional leaders required residents, including children, to participate in non-communal tasks such as seasonal weeding. This work was performed through kuhlehla, a customary practice in which people render services to the king or local leaders. The ILO has requested that the government adopt legislation to regulate the nature and conditions of kuhlehla and ensure that participation is explicitly voluntary in nature under the law.

In 2024, 13 labor inspectors conducted 1,100 worksite inspections, finding 0 child labor violations. The government also conducted 0 investigations into suspected worst forms of child labor crimes, initiated 0 prosecutions, and convicted 0 perpetrators.‡

‡ Data are from April 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.

‡ Program is funded by the Government of Eswatini.

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