Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports
Jamaica
Moderate Advancement
In 2024, Jamaica made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government increased payments to provide school meals for students by over $150. It also conducted an assessment of the school feeding program and decided to expand funding for 56 high schools and 189 primary schools in the next academic year. In addition, Jamaica released the results of its Violence Against Children and Youth Survey, which will inform the National Plan of Action to address violence against children, and prepared a School Safety Policy, which includes a plan of action for rapidly returning to regular studies in cases of violence on school grounds. However, Jamaica’s laws do not provide higher penalties for using, procuring, or offering children for the production and distribution of drugs than those imposed for these same crimes when the victims are adults. Moreover, Jamaica’s law providing for free basic education does not meet international standards, since free education is only guaranteed for Jamaican citizens. Jamaica also needs to establish social programs to provide support to girls and other children in situations of child labor, including in street work, commercial sexual exploitation, and other worst forms of child labor, as well as in agricultural work, particularly in rural areas.
| Children | Age | Percent and Population |
|---|---|---|
| Working | 5 to 14 | 8.8% (Unavailable) |
| Boys | 11.0% | |
| Girls | 6.9% | |
| Urban | 5.7% | |
| Rural | 12.1% | |
| Hazardous Work by Children | 15 to 17 | 0.8% (Unavailable) |
| Boys | 0.9% | |
| Girls | 0.7% | |
| Urban | 0.2% | |
| Rural | 1.3% | |
| Attending School | 5 to 14 | 96.2% |
| Combining Work and School | 7 to 14 | 23.9% |
| Sector/Industry | Activity |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Farming,† fishing, and hunting. |
| Industry | Construction and forestry. |
| Services | Working in shops and markets, in wholesale and retail. Street work, including begging† and vending. Domestic work and fetching water, and collecting firewood. |
| Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ | Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking; use in illicit activities, including executing financial scams, recruitment into criminal organizations, and serving as drug and gun couriers; forced domestic work; forced labor in shops and markets; and forced begging. |
† 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
Children from rural areas and unaccompanied children are more vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor. Children are sent from rural areas to live with affluent family members, which leads to situations of forced labor in private households, markets, and shops. Children without a parent or guardian, especially girls, are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation from traffickers who advertise false employment opportunities on social media and in newspapers. Reports indicate that these children are trafficked into work at brothels, nightclubs, strip clubs, and massage parlors. Girls also are at higher risk of being coerced by family members and subjected to commercial sexual exploitation. Additionally, LGB youth are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation.
Barriers to Education Access
Jamaican law limits access to free primary education to Jamaican citizens. Rural areas do not have sufficient transportation and facilities to support children with disabilities, and some parents of children with disabilities choose not to send their children to school. Reports also indicate that truancy officers were not active during the reporting year. Additionally, increasing violence in communities impacts attendance, as well as issues with pedestrian road safety. An unofficial division also remains between traditional high schools and non-traditional secondary schools, despite government reforms. Government officials and educators report that this leaves students without adequate education and certification, which creates further barriers to education. In 2024, Hurricane Beryl caused the destruction of infrastructure and, as a result, interrupted schooling for 487,339 children in Jamaica.
| Standard | Age | Meets International Standards | Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Age for Work | 15 | ✓ | Articles 34(1) and 36 of the Child Care and Protection Act |
| Minimum Age for Hazardous Work | 18 | ✓ | Articles 34(3) and 36 of the Child Care and Protection Act |
| Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children | ✓ | Articles 34(3)(b), 39, and 41 of the Child Care and Protection Act; Section 55 of the Factories Act: Docks (Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations; Section 49(2) of the Factories Act: Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction Regulations; Section 18 of the Mining Act | |
| Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor | ✓ | Sections 2, 4(1)(a), and 4(2)–4(9) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act; Section 2 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) (Amendment) Act, 2021 | |
| Prohibition of Child Trafficking | ✓ | Section 10 of the Child Care and Protection Act; Sections 2, 4, and 4A of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act; Section 2 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) (Amendment) Act, 2021 | |
| Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | ✗ | Sections 2, 4, and 4A of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act; Sections 18, 21, and 36 of the Sexual Offenses Act; Sections 3 and 4 of the Child Pornography (Prevention) Act | |
| Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities | ✗ | Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act | |
| Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment | ✗ | Section 18(2) of the Defense Act | |
| Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military | N/A* | ||
| Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups | ✗ | ||
| Compulsory Education Age | 16 | ✓ | Section 28 of the Child Care and Protection Act |
| Free Public Education | ✗ | Section 13(3)(k) of the Jamaican Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms |
Jamaica allows children ages 13 to 14 to engage in light work but has not determined specific permissible light work activities or limited the number of hours for light work. Jamaica also does not sufficiently prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children because its laws do not specifically criminalize the use of a child for prostitution. In addition, the laws related to the use of children in illicit activities do not include higher penalties for perpetrators who use, procure, or offer a child for the production and distribution of drugs. The law does not provide a minimum age for voluntary state military recruitment, nor does it provide sufficient safeguard for voluntariness. Furthermore, the laws do not criminally prohibit military recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups. Jamaica also does not meet the international standard for free public education as free education is only guaranteed for Jamaican citizens, leaving non-citizens vulnerable to child labor. Moreover, as the minimum age for work is lower than the compulsory education age, children may be encouraged to leave school before completion.
| Organization/Agency | Role & Activities |
|---|
| Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS): Enforces and administers child labor laws in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy through the labor inspectorate’s Child Labor Unit. Responsible for policy development, as well as the management of government agencies involved in child labor enforcement. In 2024, MLSS carried out events including labor fairs in different parishes of the country to raise awareness regarding child labor. |
| Jamaica Constabulary Force: Investigates, through the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Vice Squad (A-TIP Vice Squad), cases of child trafficking, including forced child labor, commercial sexual exploitation, and the use of children in illicit activities in which human trafficking is involved. The A-TIP Vice Squad has over 250 officers and leads operations and case management activities for human trafficking cases. Through the Center for the Investigation of Sexual Offenses and Child Abuse, investigates sex crimes against children and educates the public about these crimes. Receives referrals of suspected child labor law violations and other abuses for criminal enforcement from the Ministry of Education and Youth, Child Protective and Family Services and MLSS. In 2024, the Jamaica Constabulary Force made further progress in its transition toward community-oriented policing. In its work to address human trafficking, the Constabulary Force used the outreach campaign slogan “Be wise, open your eyes, spot it, stop it, and report it,” encouraging local communities to be vigilant. |
| Overview of Enforcement Efforts | 2024 |
|---|---|
| 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 2024, 41 labor inspector conducted 2,328 worksite inspections, finding 0 violations. While the government conducted investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor and convicted perpetrators of crimes, the total number of investigations, prosecutions, and convictions is unknown.
| Coordinating Body | Role & Activities |
|---|
| National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labor: Provides leadership and guidance on policies and programs that aim to reduce and eliminate child labor. Partners with the Child Labor Unit from MLSS and the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP), a multi-agency body comprising various ministries, departments, agencies of government, and representatives of three NGOs. |
| Policy | Description & Activities |
|---|
| National Plan of Action for Combating Trafficking in Persons: Aims to prevent and eliminate human trafficking, including the commercial sexual exploitation of children and forced child labor, through prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships. Guides the activities of NATFATIP. In 2024, NATFATIP funding was decreased. The national plan expired at the end of 2021. The draft of a new plan prepared in 2023 did not get approved during the reporting period. |
| National Plan of Action for an Integrated Response to Children and Violence (2018–2023): Overseen by the Inter-Sectoral Committee on Children and Violence. Aimed to address child violence and abuse through a range of strategies and programs implemented over 5 years of a child’s life. The government continued supporting the National Plan of Action’s programs, including the Project Birthright, an initiative to provide free birth certificates to undocumented Jamaicans, especially vulnerable children, during the reporting period. |
| Program | Description & Activities |
|---|
| Program for Advancement through Health and Education (PATH):‡ A conditional cash transfer program launched in 2002 and funded by the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank that helps reduce child labor by requiring participants to attend school at least 85 percent of the academic days in a month. The government increased PATH payments for different categories of subsidy recipients, particularly for school-age children. PATH payments for children depend on age and range from $945 to $1,393. Starting in June 2024, cash payments increased to $1,094–$1,567. |
| Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor (2022–2025): An intergovernmental cooperation platform made up of 31 countries, with the active participation of employers’ and workers’ organizations. Seeks to declare Latin America and the Caribbean the first developing region free of child labor by 2025. Drawing on the knowledge, experience, and accumulated capacity of key public and private actors, aims to address the persistence of child work. |
| U.S.-Jamaica Child Protection Compact Partnership (2018–2022): A 4-year plan partially funded by the U.S. Government that enhanced the efforts of the Government of Jamaica to address child trafficking. Opened new Child-Friendly Spaces to support survivors and participated in trainings for criminal justice professionals and social services providers who may come into contact with survivors of child trafficking. The U.S. Government has invested $6.7 million in foreign assistance into the program. In 2024, the Government of Jamaica opened one more child-friendly space to provide a safe environment and psychological support to vulnerable minors. |
‡ Program is funded by the Government of Jamaica.
† The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.
| Area | Suggested Action |
|---|---|
| Legal Framework | Increase penalties for the use of children in the production and distribution of drugs. |
| Prohibit the recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups. | |
| Criminally prohibit the use of children for prostitution. | |
| Ensure that the law establishes 16 as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment by the state military with safeguards for voluntariness. | |
| Establish by law that free basic public education is available to all children, regardless of citizenship. | |
| Raise the minimum age for work from 15 to 16 to align it with the compulsory education age and ensure that the law’s light work provisions specify the light work activities permissible for children ages 13 and 14 and limit the number of hours for such light work. | |
| Enforcement | Increase the number of labor inspectors from 41 to 88 to ensure adequate coverage of the labor force of over 1.3 million people, and ensure that initiatives, programming, staffing levels, and budgets for agencies, including the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, are sufficient to identify child labor violations and fulfill institutional mandates. |
| Publish labor law enforcement information, including the number of labor inspectors, labor inspectorate budget, the number of labor inspections conducted, whether child labor violations were found, child labor violation penalties applied, whether penalties for child labor violations imposed were collected, and whether routine, targeted, and unannounced inspections were conducted. | |
| Screen children for indicators of human trafficking and forced labor, including children found participating in illicit activities and victims of child abuse. | |
| Publish criminal law enforcement information, including whether investigations into the worst forms of child labor crimes took place, number of prosecutions initiated, number of convictions, and training for criminal investigators. | |
| Coordination | Ensure the National Steering Committee and the National Task Force are active and carry out their intended mandates, and publish information about their activities. |
| Government Policies | Fully integrate all worst forms of child labor elimination and prevention strategies into existing and future policies to address the scope and magnitude of the problem in country. |
| Fully fund and ensure that activities are undertaken to implement the National Plan of Action for Combatting Trafficking in persons, and make reports on these activities publicly available. | |
| Implement the Ministry of Labor and Social Security’s National Action Plan to Combat Child Labor. | |
| Social Programs | Establish social programs to provide support to girls and other children in situations of child labor, including in street work, commercial sexual exploitation, and other worst forms of child labor, as well as in agricultural work, particularly in rural areas. |
| Ensure that school costs, such as uniforms, books, food, and transportation, do not diminish access to free public education for students at both traditional and non-traditional schools. | |
| Implement a program to report, identify, and locate missing children who may have been forced into child labor. | |
| Ensure that children with disabilities, particularly in rural areas, have access to education. | |
| Implement activities related to the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor and make information publicly available. |