Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Guinea-Bissau

Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Select Country

Guinea-Bissau

2023 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

English

Portuguese

Moderate Advancement

In 2023, Guinea-Bissau made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Interministerial Commission to Fight Child Labor distributed tablets to all law enforcement agencies for the purpose of collecting child labor and human trafficking data. The Commission also provided training to relevant technicians on the management of human trafficking cases, distributed food and clothes to shelters, and conducted awareness-raising campaigns on human trafficking and forced child labor throughout communities. In collaboration with the United Nations World Food Program, the government also increased educational access to over 170,000 students throughout 693 schools, ensuring school meals reached children across all regions in the country, and provided additional rations to school-aged girls and to children with disabilities. However, prohibitions against the commercial sexual exploitation of children do not meet international standards since the prostitution of children is not criminally prohibited. In addition, minimum age protections for work only apply to children with a formal employment contract, which does not comply with international standards that require all children to be protected. Finally, since basic education is free only through the sixth grade, children in grades seven through nine are left without access to free basic education.

**Statistics on Children's Work and Education**
Children	Age	Percent of Population
Working	5 to 14	18.8% (Unavailable)
Hazardous Work by Children	15 to 17	Unavailable
Attending School	5 to 14	97.6%
Combining Work and School	7 to 14	20.6%

**Overview of Children's Work by Sector and Activity**

Children in Guinea-Bissau are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in forced begging. Children also engage in child labor in agriculture.
Sector/Industry	Activity
Agriculture	Farming and fishing.
Industry	Construction.
Services	Domestic work. Street work, including shoe-shining and vending. Also working as mechanics, including maintaining and repairing automobiles. Further, working in nightclubs,† including washing dishes and custodial work.
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡	Forced labor in domestic work, agriculture, mining, and street work, including begging. Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking.

† 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.

Barriers to Education Access

Inadequate school infrastructure and long distances to schools, particularly in rural areas, contribute to children's barriers to accessing education in Guinea-Bissau.

**Laws and Regulations on Child Labor**

Guinea-Bissau has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor. However, Guinea-Bissau's laws on the minimum work age or the prohibition of commercial sexual exploitation do not meet international standards.
Standard	Age	Meets International Standards	Legislation
Minimum Age for Work	16	✗	Articles 1, 3, 288, 347, 350, and 520 of the Labor Code
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work	18	✓	Articles 354 and 355 of the Labor Code
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children		✓	Articles 354 and 355 of the Labor Code
Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor		✓	Articles 2–4 and 15 of the Law to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking; Article 106 of the Penal Code
Prohibition of Child Trafficking		✓	Articles 2–4 and 15 of the Law to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children		✗	Articles 3–5 and 15 of the Law to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking; Articles 134 and 136 of the Penal Code
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities		✓	Articles 3 and 7 of the Decree on Narcotic Substances
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment	17	✓	Article 31 of Law No. 4/99
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military		✓	Article 2 of Law No. 4/99
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups		✗
Compulsory Education Age	15‡	✓	Articles 12 and 13 of the Education System Law
Free Public Education		✗	Article 12(2) of the Education System Law

‡ 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.

**Agencies Responsible for Child Labor Law Enforcement**

In 2023, labor and criminal law enforcement agencies in Guinea-Bissau took actions to address child labor. However, insufficient allocation of financial and human resources hindered enforcement efforts.
Organization/Agency \| Role & Activities
Ministry of Public Administration, Labor, Employment and Social Security: Enforces child labor legislation in collaboration with the Ministries of the Interior and Justice, and the National Institute for Women and Children (IMC).
Ministry of the Interior's Public Order Police and National Guard: Enforce laws related to the worst forms of child labor, including child trafficking, and refer relevant cases to IMC and NGOs for referral to social services providers. Through its Women and Children Brigade, investigates cases involving the worst forms of child labor, apart from child trafficking, and refers these to the IMC and NGOs. The Brigade comprises 10 officers.

**Enforcement Mechanisms and Efforts**
Overview of Enforcement Efforts	2023
Has a Labor Inspectorate	Yes
Able to Assess Civil Penalties	Yes
Routinely Conducted Worksite Inspections	Unknown
Unannounced Inspections Permitted	Yes
Has a Complaint Mechanism	Yes
Imposed Penalties for Child Labor Violations	Unknown
Conducted Criminal Investigations for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Yes
Imposed Penalties for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Unknown

In 2023, 22 labor inspectors conducted an unknown number of worksite inspections, finding an unknown number of child labor violations. In addition, the government also conducted 56 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, initiated 3 prosecutions, and did not convict any perpetrators.

**Key Mechanism to Coordinate Government Efforts on Child Labor**

Guinea-Bissau established a mechanism to coordinate its efforts to address child labor.
Coordinating Body \| Role & Activities
Interministerial Commission to Fight Child Labor: Coordinates the government’s efforts to prevent and eliminate child labor. Led by the IMC. In 2023, the Commission distributed tablets to all interministerial agencies for the purpose of collecting child labor and human trafficking data. The Commission also provided training to relevant technicians on the management of human trafficking cases, distributed food and clothes to shelters, and conducted awareness-raising campaigns on human trafficking and forced child labor throughout communities.

**Key Policies Related to Child Labor**

Guinea-Bissau established policies related to child labor. However, lack of implementation of these policies hindered efforts to address the worst forms of child labor, including forced child begging.
Policy \| Description & Activities
National Policy for the Protection of Children (2021–2032): Guides the government’s policies for addressing violence toward children, including the worst forms of child labor. Although the policy has yet to be approved by Parliament, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, and institutions working on child protection issues are already implementing its outlined procedures.
National Emergency Plan for the Prevention and Combat of Trafficking in Persons: Aims to prevent and reduce human trafficking by strengthening legislation, coordinate actions and initiatives among government agencies, promote the coordination and collaboration of relevant stakeholders, and improve protective services and assistance to victims. Led by the IMC with the collaboration of national and international NGOs and relevant government entities.
Code of Conduct Against Sexual Exploitation in Tourism: Seeks to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of children and child trafficking in Guinea-Bissau, including in the Bijagós Archipelago, Bubaque, São Domingos, and Bissau regions. In 2023, the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity conducted human trafficking awareness-raising activities through radio campaigns and mural displays featuring trafficking in persons awareness messages.

**Key Social Programs to Address Child Labor**

Guinea-Bissau funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating and preventing child labor. However, these social programs are inadequate to address the full scope of the problem in all sectors where child labor has been identified, including in agriculture and street work, particularly begging.
Program \| Description & Activities
Friends of the Child Association Shelters (Associação dos Amigos da Criança):† Donor-funded shelters, with government support, in Bissau and Gabú. Operated by a national NGO providing social services to vulnerable children, including victims of the worst forms of child labor. In 2023, repatriated 179 talibés (Koranic school students) to Guinea-Bissau from other countries, predominantly Senegal.
UN World Food Program:† School meals program reaching children in all regions of the country, with the aim of universal coverage by 2027. Also provides rations to school-aged girls and children with disabilities. In May 2023, a pilot program was launched to create vegetable gardens in schools for children with special needs. The UN Guinea-Bissau annual report, published during the reporting period, indicates an increase of education access to over 170,000 students throughout 693 schools in the country.

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 Guinea-Bissau.

**Suggested Government Actions to Eliminate Child Labor**

The suggested government actions below would close gaps USDOL has identified in Guinea-Bissau's implementation of its international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
Area	Suggested Action
Legal Framework	Ensure that the minimum age for work applies to all children, including children without a formal employment agreement.
	Ensure that laws criminally prohibit the use of a child for prostitution.
	Ensure that the law criminally prohibits the recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups.
	Ensure that all nine years of basic education are free.
	Increase the compulsory education age from 15 to 16 to align with the minimum age for work.
Enforcement	Ensure that the number of law enforcement officials is sufficient to address the scope of the problem, and that both law and criminal enforcement officials receive adequate resources to inspect, investigate, and prosecute cases of child labor throughout the country, including in Bafatá and Gabú, where child labor is known to occur.
	Strengthen the labor inspectorate by initiating routine inspections and targeting inspections based on the analysis of data related to risk-prone sectors and patterns of serious incidents.
	Publish information on labor enforcement data for the reporting period, including whether worksite inspections were routinely conducted, and whether penalties were imposed for child labor violations and the worst forms of child labor crimes.
Government Policies	Ensure that a policy that addresses all relevant worst forms of child labor, like the National Policy for the Protection of Children and Adolescents, is approved.
	Ensure that activities are undertaken to implement the National Emergency Plan for the Prevention and Combat of Trafficking in Persons and publish results from activities conducted during the reporting period.
Social Programs	Ensure that facilities, including shelters, have adequate resources to assist victims of the worst forms of child labor.
	Expand existing programs to address the scope of the child labor problem, including in agriculture and street work, particularly begging.
	Enhance efforts to eliminate barriers and make education accessible for all children by improving school infrastructure and providing transportation, particularly in rural areas.

Download Child Labor Report PDFs from Previous Years:

Want this report plus over a thousand pages of research in the palm of
your hand? Download ILAB's Sweat & Toil App today!

Download for iPhone Download for Android