† 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

Koranic students, known as talibés, from the eastern region of the country, such as Bafatá and Gabú, are particularly vulnerable to being exploited for forced begging by corrupt Koranic school teachers and organized networks of human traffickers affiliated with Koranic schools. Furthermore, human trafficking networks take advantage of the country's weak institutions and porous borders to transport large numbers of Bissau-Guinean boys to Senegal, and, to a lesser extent, to The Gambia, Guinea, and Mali, to beg on the streets for money and food. Bissau-Guinean girls from rural areas also face higher risks of being trafficked to urban areas, engaged in domestic work, or subjected to forced domestic work. Girls also face a higher risk of being subjected to commercial sexual exploitation.

Barriers to Education Access

Inadequate school infrastructure and long distances to schools, particularly in rural areas, are barriers to children's access to education in Guinea-Bissau. A lack of teachers and continuing teacher strikes due to unpaid salaries further impact children's access to education in the country.

‡ Age calculated based on available information

The law's minimum age protections do not apply to children working outside formal employment relationships, which is not in compliance with international standards that require all children to be protected by the law. In addition, the law does not sufficiently prohibit commercial sexual exploitation because the use of children in prostitution is not criminally prohibited. Although the Education System Law states that basic education is compulsory and lasts 9 years, it makes basic education free only through grade six, leaving children in grades seven through nine without access to free basic education. Moreover, as the minimum age for work is 16, children aged 15 are vulnerable to exploitative child labor because they are not required to attend school while also not legally permitted to work. The military service law also falls below the international standard because 16 and 17 year olds can be conscripted and laws permit children aged 17 to voluntarily join the military without safeguards for voluntariness.

In 2024, 21 labor inspectors conducted an unknown number of worksite inspections, finding 0 child labor violations. The government conducted 0 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, and 2 prosecutions were initiated, but 0 perpetrators were convicted.

* Policy was approved during the reporting period.

‡ Program is funded by the Government of Guinea-Bissau.

Download the 2024 Bibliography