Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Somalia

Somalia
2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Minimal Advancement – Efforts Made but Continued Practices that Delayed Advancement

In 2021, Somalia made minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States participated in a workshop to validate findings from an International Labor Organization-conducted assessment of child labor in Somalia, which will inform future programing and policies in Somalia, including the National Action Plan to address child labor. The Ministry of Defense's Child Protection Unit also organized a number of training and awareness-raising forums to support implementation of the United Nations-supported 2012 action plans and the 2019 roadmap to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. However, despite new initiatives to address child labor, Somalia is receiving an assessment of minimal advancement because it continued to implement practices that delay advancement to eliminate child labor. During the reporting period, there is evidence that federal and state security forces continued to recruit and use children in armed conflict, in violation of national law. In other cases, government security forces detained children for suspected association with armed groups, in some cases subjecting them to lengthy interrogations and coerced confessions. Children in Somalia are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in armed conflict. Children also perform dangerous tasks in street work. The government did not conduct worksite inspections in 2021. Somali laws do not criminally prohibit child labor trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, or the recruitment of children by non-state armed groups. The government did not provide complete information on its criminal law enforcement efforts to address child labor for inclusion in this report.

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