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

Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Select Country

Solomon Islands

2024 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

English

Moderate Advancement

In 2024, the Solomon Islands made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government took steps to remove barriers to education by adopting the Solomon Islands Inclusive Education Manual, which promotes access to education to children who are most at-risk of being out-of-school. It also published a rapid assessment of children living and working in urban areas of the Solomon Islands, which provided data on the prevalence and nature of child labor in urban areas. Finally, the government worked with non-governmental organizations to provide training on human trafficking and labor exploitation to labor officials, police, shelter and hotline staff and volunteers, and the media. However, despite these efforts, the Solomon Islands’ minimum age for work of 12 years does not meet the international standard of 14 years, and the country has not established a minimum age for hazardous work or delineated the types of work considered hazardous for children. Furthermore, there is neither a law that makes education compulsory, which increases children’s vulnerability to child labor, nor is there a national action plan or policy aimed at eliminating child labor in the Solomon Islands.

**Statistics on Children's Work and Education**
Children	Age	Percent and Population
Working	5 to 14	Unavailable
Hazardous Work by Children	15 to 17	Unavailable
Attending School	5 to 14	Unavailable
Combining Work and School	7 to 14	Unavailable

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

Children in the Solomon Islands 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 alluvial mining, logging, and fishing.
Sector/Industry	Activity
Agriculture	Farming on plantations, including harvesting fruits, and fishing, including harvesting of seafood.
Industry	Alluvial mining.†
Services	Vending; domestic work, including working as cooks; working in nightclubs, casinos, and motels; pickpocketing; and garbage scavenging.
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡	Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking; use in illicit activities, including in the cultivation and trafficking of drugs; forced domestic work, including working as cooks; forced pickpocketing; forced begging; forced harvesting of seafood; handling of heavy cargo; and work in construction.

† 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

In remote, rural communities some boys, girls, and young women are recruited for domestic work and subsequently exploited in commercial sex at logging camps. Additionally, widespread social stigma against LGB individuals in the Solomon Islands increases their vulnerability to human trafficking.

Barriers to Education Access

Teacher absenteeism, school fees, and transportation limitations present barriers to education access for students. Children with disabilities also face distinct challenges accessing education due to a lack of accessible buildings and specialized teachers.

**Laws and Regulations on Child Labor**

The Solomon Islands has not ratified a key international convention concerning child labor, the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. In addition, the Solomon Islands’ laws do not meet international standards on the minimum age for hazardous work, identification of hazardous occupations or activities prohibited for children, and the prohibition on child trafficking.
Standard	Age	Meets International Standards	Legislation
Minimum Age for Work	12	✗	Article 46 of the Labor Act
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work		✗	Articles 47–49 of the Labor Act
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children		✗	Articles 47–49 of the Labor Act
Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor		✓	Articles 251 and 256 of the Penal Code; Articles 70–79 of the Immigration Act
Prohibition of Child Trafficking		✗	Articles 70–79 of the Immigration Act; Article 145 of the Penal Code
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children		✓	Articles 136, 136B, 141, 143, and 144 of the Penal Code; Articles 70 and 77 of the Immigration Act
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities		✗
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment		N/A†
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military		N/A†
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups		✗
Compulsory Education Age		✗
Free Public Education		✗

† Country has no standing military

The Solomon Islands’ minimum age for work, age 12, is not in compliance with the international standard of age 14 for developing countries. Additionally, although the Labor Act prohibits all children under age 18 from working at night and regulates work in mines and on ships, it does not clearly establish a minimum age for hazardous work or delineate the types of work considered hazardous for all children. The legal framework also does not prohibit dangerous work in scavenging or in agricultural activities, for which there is evidence of children being exposed to injuries, extreme temperatures, and chemicals. The Penal Code includes heightened penalties if an offense is committed against a child but has insufficient prohibitions against child trafficking because the transfer of children is not criminalized. The law also does not criminally prohibit the use of children in illicit activities. There is no age up to which education is compulsory, increasing the risk of children’s involvement in child labor. Finally, there is no free basic education for children in the Solomon Islands as established by law, increasing the risk of children’s involvement in child labor.

**Agencies Responsible for Child Labor Law Enforcement**

It is unknown whether enforcement agencies in the Solomon Islands took actions to address child labor in 2024. Insufficient resources likely hamper the labor inspectorate’s capacity to enforce child labor laws. In addition, research indicates that the Solomon Islands does not have an adequate number of labor inspectors to carry out their mandated duties.
Organization/Agency \| Role & Activities
Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labor and Immigration: The Ministry’s Labor Division enforces the country’s laws against child labor and forced labor and works to uphold the country’s commitments to global labor standards through the International Labor Standards and Prosecution Unit. The Ministry’s Immigration Division leads efforts to address human trafficking, including the trafficking of children.
Royal Solomon Islands Police: Enforce criminal laws against the worst forms of child labor. Jointly investigate human trafficking cases along with the Solomon Islands Immigration Division.

**Enforcement Mechanisms and Efforts**
Overview of Enforcement Efforts	2024
Has a Labor Inspectorate	Yes
Able to Assess Civil Penalties	Yes
Routinely Conducted Worksite Inspections	Unknown
Unannounced Inspections Permitted	Unknown
Has a Complaint Mechanism	No
Imposed Penalties for Child Labor Violations	Unknown
Conducted Criminal Investigations for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Unknown
Imposed Penalties for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes	Unknown

In 2024, it is unknown how many labor inspectors conducted worksite inspections or whether child labor violations were found. It is also unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted or whether prosecutions were initiated.

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

The Solomon Islands established a mechanism to coordinate its efforts to address child labor. However, this mechanism does not address all worst forms of child labor in the country, including commercial sexual exploitation, use in illicit activities, and forced labor in fishing and agriculture.
Coordinating Body \| Role & Activities
National Advisory and Action Committee on Children (NAACC): A multi-sectorial body established by the government and led by the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs that plays a lead role in the reporting and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Child Development Division and NAACC oversee and coordinate activities that promote child survival, development, protection, and participation. During the reporting period, the Committee met twice; however, there are no reported actions from the meetings.

**Key Policies Related to Child Labor**

The Solomon Islands established policies related to child labor. However, these policies do not cover all worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation and use in illicit activities.
Policy \| Description & Activities
National Action Plan Against Human Trafficking and People Smuggling (2020–2025): Establishes a coordinated effort to eliminate human trafficking and people smuggling on the Solomon Islands. Implementation is led by the Anti-Human Trafficking Advisory Committee. Research was unable to determine what activities took place to implement the National Action Plan during the reporting period.
National Children’s Policy (2023–2028): Developed in partnership between the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs and UNICEF, the policy sets the government agenda and priorities for children to ensure that the rights of the child are at the center of development. Research was unable to determine what activities took place to implement the National Children’s Policy during the reporting period.
National Education Action Plan (2022–2026): Launched by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), the plan outlines key priorities and strategies to achieve the nation’s educational goals. During the reporting period, MEHRD conducted the National Education Action Plan 2022–2026 mid-term review and consultation. The review focused on evaluating the progress of the plan toward its three goals of equitable access to education, improvements in the quality of education, and efficient and effective management and monitoring of the education system. The findings from the review were used in consultation to better inform the Ministry in implementing the rest of the reform activities, projects, and programs during the second half of the National Education Action Plan, which concludes in 2026.

**Key Social Programs to Address Child Labor**

The Solomon Islands funded and participated in programs that may contribute to eliminating or preventing child labor and the worst forms of child labor. However, these social programs are inadequate to address the problem in all sectors and in all states in which child labor has been identified, including commercial sexual exploitation, use in illicit activities, and forced labor in fishing and agriculture.
Program \| Description & Activities
Anti-Human Trafficking Programs: The government supported some anti-human trafficking programs during the reporting period, including subsidizing International Organization for Migration training for media outlet-provided journalists on understanding and communicating about human trafficking in June 2024.
Seif Ples Shelter and Hotline: Government-run shelter for victims of sexual violence, trafficking, and exploitation, especially women and children. In May 2024, Seif Ples provided a 2-week training course, supported by Child Fund, to staff and volunteers that focused on the SAFENET hotline, which is a formal referral system to provide coordinated, frontline services and support to victims and survivors of violence against women and children.

**Suggested Government Actions to Eliminate Child Labor**

The suggested government actions below would close gaps USDOL has identified in the Solomon Islands’ implementation of its international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
Area	Suggested Action
Legal Framework	Ratify the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons.
	Raise the minimum age for employment to age 14 to comply with international standards.
	Establish age 18 as the minimum age for hazardous work; and determine by national law or regulation the types of hazardous work prohibited for children, after consultation with employers’ and workers’ organizations.
	Establish by law a compulsory age of education that aligns with the international standard for the minimum age for employment and establish by law free basic public education.
	Ensure that the law criminally prohibits the transfer of children for the purpose of child trafficking.
	Ensure that the law criminally prohibits using, procuring, and offering a child for illicit activities, including in the production and trafficking of drugs.
	Ensure that the law criminally prohibits the recruitment of children under age 18 by non-state armed groups.
	Establish free basic public education by law.
Enforcement	Publish information on child labor law enforcement efforts undertaken, including labor inspectorate funding, the number and type of labor inspections conducted, violations found, information about the training system for labor inspectors, and penalties imposed and collected.
	Publish information on criminal law enforcement efforts undertaken, including the number of child labor investigations initiated, the number of prosecutions initiated, the number of convictions secured, and the sentences imposed.
	Employ at least 11 labor inspectors to ensure adequate coverage of the labor force of approximately 423,000 people, ensure that the labor inspectorate has sufficient financial and staffing resources to enforce child labor laws, and publish information about child labor-related training for labor inspectors.
	Publish information about child labor-related training for labor inspectors.
	Implement a digital tracking system for civil worst forms of child labor inspections.
	Publish information about child labor-related training for criminal investigators.
	Ensure that the labor inspectorate has sufficient financial and staffing resources to enforce child labor laws.
Coordination	Increase coordination, clarify roles and responsibilities, and provide sufficient funding for coordination mechanisms addressing worst forms of child labor.
Coordination	Ensure that the National Advisory Action Committee on Children publishes activities undertaken on an annual basis and adequately addresses issues such as use of children in illicit activities and forced labor in fishing and agriculture.
Government Policies	Adopt a policy that incorporates eliminating child labor and the worst forms of child labor as an objective.
	Ensure that the Anti-Human Trafficking Advisory Committee is able to implement the National Action Plan Against Human Trafficking and People Smuggling, addressing child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children, and also publish results from activities implemented on an annual basis.
	Implement key policies related to child labor and child well-being, like the National Children’s Policy, and publish results from activities implemented on an annual basis.
Social Programs	Establish and participate in programs to prevent, address, and eliminate all forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation, use in illicit activities, and forced labor in the fishing and logging industries.
	Collect and publish data on the extent and nature of child labor nationwide to inform policies and programs.
	Eliminate barriers to basic education, including by eliminating school-related fees and teacher absenteeism, improving access to school transportation, preventing harassment and bullying of students during the commute to school or at school, and ensuring that all schools are accessible for students with disabilities and provide necessary facilities, especially those related to hygiene.
	Ensure that all children, specifically male children over the age of 12, are eligible for trafficking victim care, including access to shelter.

Download Child Labor Report PDFs from Previous Years: