Child Labor in Serbia: Findings from the U.S. Department of Labor

Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

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Serbia

2024 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

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Serbian

Minimal Advancement – Efforts Made but Continued Practice that Delayed Advancement

In 2024, Serbia made minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government of Serbia adopted the Program for Combating Human Trafficking in the Republic of Serbia for the Period 2024–2029 and the Action Plan for 2024–2026 in March, aiming to establish a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable approach to combating human trafficking by strengthening systems for prevention and prosecution while ensuring victim protection, with a particular focus on women and children. Additionally, the Ministry of Education enrolled students from vulnerable groups in schools and supported Roma students with scholarships. Furthermore, the Labor Inspectorate’s budget was increased by $484,000, or 9.9 percent, to $5.12 million in 2024. However, despite new initiatives to address child labor, the bilateral agreement between Serbia and China signed in 2018 continued to prohibit the Labor Inspectorate from examining labor contracts, including ensuring wages are paid, though it does allow for health and safety inspections. Also, the Labor Inspectorate rarely inspected workplaces that are Chinese-owned or affiliated with China, even if there were credible allegations of labor exploitation occurring. The lack of inspections may leave potential violations of child labor laws and other labor abuses undetected in workplaces. In addition, the government’s social programs remain insufficient to address educational access for disadvantaged populations, especially girls and Roma children. Furthermore, some perpetrators of commercial sexual exploitation of children were not convicted, or were sentenced with penalties that are not consistent with the law and commensurate with the seriousness of the crime, though this is not a widespread practice. Lastly, the country’s hazardous worklist does not include occupations or sectors known to be hazardous and in which child labor occurs, including manufacturing, construction, and street work.

**Statistics on Children's Work and Education**
Children	Age	Percent and 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 Serbia are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and forced begging. Children also perform dangerous tasks in manufacturing, construction, and street work.
Sector/Industry	Activity
Agriculture	Working in agriculture, including raising livestock, farming, and growing crops.
Industry	Manufacturing and construction.
Services	Street work, including washing cars, collecting scrap material, vending, and begging. Domestic work. Retail business. Working in food service and hospitality.
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡	Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Forced begging. Use in illicit activities, including petty crimes, 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

Children from Roma communities, particularly girls, and children living in rural areas have higher rates of victimization by internal human trafficking, including for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Children from other countries in the region residing in Serbia are also at a significantly higher risk of human trafficking for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Additionally, social media and video games are increasingly relied upon to recruit children to the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation; some girls are reported to be involved in online organized sexual exploitation.

Barriers to Education Access

Constitutional and legal protections prohibit discrimination in the education system against individuals with disabilities. However, some individuals with disabilities, especially Roma children, face difficulties in accessing education due to a lack of appropriate infrastructure and social prejudices. Some Roma, Ashkali, and Balkan Egyptian children in Serbia also experience challenges in obtaining birth registration, which may make school enrollment difficult and thereby increase their vulnerability to child labor. In addition, placement in non-mainstream schools sometimes discourages Roma children from attending school. Roma children are also more likely to begin school at a later age and to drop out of school more frequently than their non-Roma peers.

**Laws and Regulations on Child Labor**

Serbia has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor. However, Serbia’s laws do not meet international standards on the identification of hazardous occupations or activities for children.
Standard	Age	Meets International Standards	Legislation
Minimum Age for Work	15	✓	Articles 24, 25, and 274 of the Labor Law; Article 66 of the Constitution
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work	18	✓	Articles 25 and 274 of the Labor Law; Article 66 of the Constitution
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children		✓	Articles 25, 84, 87, and 88 of the Labor Law; Regulation on Hazardous Labor of Children
Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor		✓	Articles 112, 388, and 390 of the Criminal Code; Article 26 of the Constitution
Prohibition of Child Trafficking		✓	Articles 112 and 388 of the Criminal Code; Article 26 of the Constitution
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children		✓	Articles 112, 183–185, and 388 of the Criminal Code
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities		✓	Articles 246 and 388 of the Criminal Code
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment	18	✓	Article 4 of the Law on Military, Labor, and Material Obligation; Article 39 of the Law on the Army
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military		N/A*	Article 4 of the Law on Military, Labor, and Material Obligation
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups		✓	Article 24 of the Law on the Ratification of the Optional Protocol Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict; Article 388 of the Criminal Code
Compulsory Education Age	15‡	✓	Article 71 of the Constitution; Articles 94 and 98 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System; Law Duration of Primary Education and Upbring
Free Public Education		✓	Article 71 of the Constitution; Article 91 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System; Law Duration of Primary Education and Upbring

* No conscription
‡ Age calculated based on available information

Serbia’s Regulation on Hazardous Labor of Children law is not comprehensive as it omits certain sectors of work in which children are known to engage, including manufacturing, construction, and street work.

**Agencies Responsible for Child Labor Law Enforcement**

In 2024, labor and criminal law enforcement agencies in Serbia took actions to address child labor. However, the lack of labor inspections in workplaces that are Chinese-owned or affiliated with China hindered enforcement efforts.
Organization/Agency \| Role & Activities
Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs: Through the Labor Inspectorate, inspects businesses, including unregistered businesses. Through the Center for the Protection of Trafficking Victims (CPTV), identifies victims of child trafficking and those at risk, conducts needs assessments, contributes to human trafficking research projects, and refers survivors to social services. In 2024, the CPTV-run urgent reception center accommodated 16 trafficking survivors, the highest number since the opening, including women and their children.
Ministry of the Interior (MOI): Maintains a labor division to investigate forced labor and specialized units in Belgrade, Nis, and Novi Sad. Oversees the General Police Directorate and enforces laws prohibiting commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking through the Criminal Police Department. Informs the Centers for Social Work (CSWs) of any child labor violations and transfers children found eligible for assistance to CSWs.

**Enforcement Mechanisms and Efforts**
Overview of Enforcement Efforts	2024
Has a Labor Inspectorate	Yes
Able to Assess Civil Penalties	Yes
Routinely Conducted Worksite Inspections	Yes
Unannounced Inspections Permitted	Yes
Has a Complaint Mechanism	Yes
Imposed Penalties for Child Labor Violations	Yes
Conducted Criminal Investigations for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Yes
Imposed Penalties for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Yes

In 2024, 224 labor inspectors conducted 69,475 worksite inspections, finding 18 child labor violations. The government also conducted 24 investigations into suspected worst forms of child labor, initiated 20 prosecutions, and convicted 11 perpetrators. However, the Labor Inspectorate rarely inspected workplaces that are owned or affiliated with China, even if there were credible allegations of labor exploitation occurring.

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

Serbia established a mechanism to coordinate its efforts to address child labor. However, the coordinating mechanism does not cover all worst forms of child labor in the country, such as child labor issues in agriculture.
Coordinating Body \| Role & Activities
Council for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings:* Coordinates national and international anti-trafficking activities, sets government policies on human trafficking, proposes measures, and monitors progress in the national action plan. Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Council includes ministers from finance, labor, health, justice, and education.

* Mechanism to coordinate efforts to address child labor was created during the reporting period.

**Key Policies Related to Child Labor**

Serbia established policies related to child labor. However, it has not adopted national policies addressing child labor in high-risk sectors, including in domestic work, commercial sexual exploitation, and street labor, especially begging.
Policy \| Description & Activities
Program for Combating Human Trafficking in the Republic of Serbia for the Period 2024–2029:* Adopted with its Action Plan for 2024–2026 in March 2024. The Program aims to establish a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable approach to combating human trafficking by strengthening systems for prevention and prosecution while ensuring victim protection, with a particular focus on women and children.
Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma in the Republic of Serbia 2022–2030: An updated version of the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma in the Republic of Serbia 2016–2025, the latest strategy aligns with the EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation and the Declaration of Western Balkans Partners on Roma Integration within EU Enlargement Process, which Serbia joined in 2019. The strategy aims to improve Roma children’s quality of life in Serbia by, for example, developing an inclusive, safe, and intercultural education environment for Roma children, raising the enrollment and completion rate of Roma children in primary and secondary education, and strengthening the role of local government in reducing child labor and forced labor of Roma children. On December 18, 2024, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue and the Council of Europe jointly held a conference on the implementation of social inclusion policies for the Roma community.
Protocol on Rules and Procedures for the Institutions and Organizations Working with Children Involved in Life and Work on the Streets of Belgrade: Aims to enhance institutional cooperation among MOI, the Criminal Police Directorate, the Communal Police, city Social Welfare Centers, the Belgrade City Secretariat for Education, the Belgrade City Secretariat for Health, and civil society organizations. Identifies lead institutions and stipulates rules and procedures for interacting with children engaged in street labor, including begging. Although the Protocol was still active during the reporting period, research was unable to identify the activities it pursued.

* Policy was approved during the reporting period.

**Key Social Programs to Address Child Labor**

Serbia funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. However, gaps exist in addressing social barriers to education.
Program \| Description & Activities
Hotline for Reporting Labor Irregularities (0800 300 307):‡ The government maintains the toll-free hotline to allow observers to report illegal work activities, including those involving child labor.
Belgrade Children’s Shelter:‡ Social welfare institution funded by the City of Belgrade; opened in 2019. Provides accommodation services and daytime shelter services to meet the needs of young people and street children who are subsequently referred to judicial authorities, as well as to the CSWs for healthcare and educational support. The government continued to support the shelter during the reporting period and had 45 program participants at the end of 2024.

‡ Program is funded by the Government of Serbia.

**Suggested Government Actions to Eliminate Child Labor**

The suggested government actions below would close gaps USDOL has identified in Serbia's implementation of its international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
Area	Suggested Action
Legal Framework	Ensure that the types of work that children perform in Serbia that involve dangerous machinery, equipment, and tools, and work in unhealthy environments, including manufacturing, construction, and street work, are prohibited to children under age 18.
	Ensure that children engaged in child labor or the worst forms of child labor are legally classified as victims of child labor rather than as criminals.
Enforcement	Increase funding and training of civil and criminal law enforcement officials to identify and distinguish between labor violations and worst forms of child labor crimes; and train officials to refer child labor survivors to social services rather than punishing them.
	Ensure that the Labor Inspectorate is fully staffed and equipped to conduct an adequate number of inspections in all geographic areas, including rural areas.
	Conduct inspections in a full of range of companies, sectors, and workplace locations, including foreign-owned entities and international businesses.
	Impose criminal penalties for worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation of children, that are consistent with the law and commensurate with the seriousness of the crime.
Coordination	Establish a mechanism to coordinate efforts to monitor and address child labor issues, including in agriculture.
	Enhance cooperation between the Office of the National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator and civil society in efforts to combat trafficking of children and other worst forms of child labor.
Government Policies	Use research and data from the National Child Labor Survey to develop and implement policies to address the full scope of the child labor problem in all sectors.
	Publish information on an annual basis about implementation of the Protocol on Rules and Procedures for the Institutions and Organizations Working with Children Involved in Life and Work on the Streets of Belgrade.
Social Programs	Address barriers to education by improving access to birth registration documentation; increasing access to education for children with disabilities; and increasing educational access and retention rates for girls and minority populations, including Roma children.
	Ensure that staff members at Social Welfare Centers and NGOs have sufficient resources, such as personnel and funding, to address the specific needs of child trafficking victims.
	Increase resources, develop social programs, and establish methods to support child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking and those with severe trauma or complicated legal proceedings; and provide shelter space for boys and families with children, especially those who are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation or child trafficking.
	To encourage families to keep their children in school, cease the practice of conditioning the provisioning of social benefits to families of lower socio-economic status on their children's attendance at school.

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