‡ 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 from low-income families, children living in poverty, and homeless children are vulnerable to forced labor and labor exploitation in Georgia. In rural areas, children are more likely to be exploited in seasonal agricultural work, while in urban areas, especially in Tbilisi, children living and working in the streets remain the most vulnerable group to being subjected to forced labor and other forms of labor exploitation. Reports indicate that some street children, who are Georgian citizens, including Roma children, internally displaced children from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and migrant children entering Georgia from neighboring countries—Azerbaijan in particular—are subjected to forced begging by family members or family acquaintances. In addition, in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are occupied by Russian forces and not under control of the central government, lack of information limits an assessment of children who may be at higher risk for labor exploitation.

Barriers to Education Access

Children from disadvantaged and marginalized groups in Georgia, such as street children, children with disabilities, those who live in rural areas, and migrant children face barriers in accessing education. Reports note that children with disabilities face barriers to attending school, including inaccessible infrastructure, lack of qualified staff and teachers, and inaccessible or insufficient classroom material. There is limited data on children with disabilities, including dropout rates. In addition, migrant children and some Roma children may not attend school due to a lack of identity documents, which enable access to education. However, UNICEF notes that some migrant and Roma families continue to destroy identification and other documents in an effort to avoid interaction with state officials. Furthermore, some children systematically miss or drop out of school due to their involvement in seasonal work, household labor, or seasonal labor migration. School employees, such as teachers and administrative personnel, do not always record absenteeism by students or the reasons for it. As a result, many cases of potential child labor are not recorded or investigated. Absenteeism and dropout rates are higher among Roma children, in part due to language and cultural barriers. However, the government operates some mixed language schools with Georgian, Russian, and Azeri or Armenian languages.

‡ Age calculated based on available information.

In 2023, Georgia adopted a new law on Public Procurement that includes provisions on addressing human trafficking. This law will come into force from 2025 and will exclude companies from participating in public procurements for a period of 3 years if any person from these companies, who is a member of the board of directors or supervisory board of that entity, or a person representing the entity, has previous record of conviction for human trafficking, including child trafficking, or for using the services of a trafficking victim. However, provisions in the Labor Code related to the minimum age for work are not in compliance with international standards because they do not apply to the informal sector. In Georgia, some employers hire children informally specifically because they are not covered by the Labor Code. Georgia's law on education allows children to leave school at age 15. These children are vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor because they are no longer required to be in school but are not legally permitted to work full time until they are 16 years old. Article 4 of the Labor Code specifies conditions under which children ages 14 and 15 may perform light work, and Article 14 prescribes the number of hours that may be worked, but the law does not specify the activities in which light work is permissible. Article 4 of the Labor Code stipulates that children under age 14 are allowed to work only in sports, the arts, and cultural activities, as well as some advertising activities. Lastly, Georgia’s laws do not criminally prohibit the use of children in illicit activities, including the use, procuring, or offering of children for the production or trafficking of drugs.

In 2023, 105 labor inspectors conducted 5,847 worksite inspections, finding 23 child labor violations. The government also conducted 5 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, initiated 5 prosecutions, and convicted 5 perpetrators. The Russia-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not under the control of Georgian central authorities, who are prevented from carrying out inspections and law enforcement there.

† 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.

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 Georgia.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.

Download the 2023 Bibliography