† 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 in Niger, especially boys and girls from the Arab, Djerma, Peulh, Tuareg, and Toubou ethnic minorities, continue to be exploited in slavery and endure slavery-like practices, particularly in the regions of Tahoua and Agadez. Some children are born into slavery while others are born free but remain in a dependent status and are forced to work with their parents for their former masters in exchange for food, money, and lodging. A particular form of slavery in Niger is the wahaya practice, in which men buy girls born into slavery, often between ages 9 and 14, as “fifth wives” for exploitation in forced labor. Even though Niger’s Supreme Court set a legal precedent by ruling wahaya to be illegal in 2019, the government has made limited efforts to inform the public of the court’s ruling. Child slavery victims, including those exploited in wahaya, are forced to work long hours as cattle herders, agricultural workers, or domestic workers, and are often sexually exploited. As with those involved in hereditary slavery, the children of wahaya wives are considered enslaved, and are passed from one owner to another as gifts or as part of dowries.

Barriers to Education Access

Although the Constitution guarantees free education, children require identity documents, including birth certificates, to attend school. Children who lack documentation and refugee children who are not formally registered with the government are denied access to education. School fees are also regularly required, making education prohibitively expensive. A lack of school infrastructure and school materials, and the limited availability of teachers, especially in rural areas, impedes access to education, which may increase the vulnerability of children to child labor. Furthermore, schools do not have the resources to educate children with disabilities, placing them at higher risk of dropping out and making them more vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor.

* Country has no conscription

Although the Labor Code establishes age 14 as the minimum age for work, it does not apply to workers in the informal sector, which does not conform to international standards requiring all children to be protected under the law. In addition, Article 2 of the Law on the Orientation of the Educational System in Niger guarantees education for all children ages 4 to 18, and Article 8 of Decree No. 2017-935 states that the government is required to promote access to compulsory education, particularly for young girls. However, Niger’s law does not clearly articulate to which age groups the latter provision applies, thereby leaving some children at risk of not being covered and increasing the risk of children’s involvement in child labor.

In 2023, 61 labor inspectors conducted an unknown number of worksite inspections, finding an unknown number of child labor violations. It is also unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted.

‡ 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. For references, please visit dol.gov/childlaborreports
† Program is funded by the Government of Niger.

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