Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Lesotho

Cattle
Cattle
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Lesotho
2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Moderate Advancement

In 2021, Lesotho made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Lesotho’s Multisectoral Committee on Combating Trafficking in Persons launched the National Referral Mechanisms in Trafficking in Persons. The Government of Lesotho also created standard operating procedures for responding to human trafficking violations, with the Home Affairs Ministry distributing the documents in the 10 districts of the country. In addition, the labor inspectorate significantly increased the number of inspections conducted during the reporting period. However, children in Lesotho are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also perform dangerous tasks in animal herding. Lesotho’s compulsory education age is below the minimum age for work, leaving children in between these ages vulnerable to child labor. The government also lacks effective coordination mechanisms to address child labor, and labor inspections are not conducted in high-risk sectors, including the informal sector.

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