Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports
Wallis and Futuna


No Assessment
For the 2022 reporting period, no assessment has been made regarding Wallis and Futuna’s efforts to advance the elimination of the worst forms of child labor because there is no evidence of a worst forms of child labor problem and the French collectivity has an adequate legal and enforcement framework on child labor.
Research found no evidence that child labor exists in Wallis and Futuna. (1) Wallis and Futuna has a population of approximately 15,929 inhabitants. (11)
Wallis and Futuna is a French overseas collectivity, and, as such, cannot ratify international conventions. However, France’s ratification of such conventions applies to Wallis and Futuna. (2,3) France has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 1).
Convention | Ratification |
ILO C. 138, Minimum Age | ✓ |
ILO C. 182, Worst Forms of Child Labor | ✓ |
UN CRC | ✓ |
UN CRC Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict | ✓ |
UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography | ✓ |
Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons | ✓ |
Given its status as an overseas collectivity of France, French law is applicable in Wallis and Futuna. (2,3) The Government of France has established laws and regulations related to child labor, which are in line with relevant international standards (Table 2).
Standard | Meets International Standards | Age | Legislation |
---|---|---|---|
Minimum Age for Work | Yes | 16 | Article 118 of the Labor Code of Wallis and Futuna (4) |
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work | Yes | 18 | Article 115 of the Labor Code of Wallis and Futuna (4) |
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children | Yes | Articles L.4153-8, L.4153-9, and D.4153-15 of the Labor Code; Decree No. 2013-915, Relative to Work That is Prohibited and Regulated for Young People Less Than 18 Years (5,6) | |
Prohibition of Forced Labor | Yes | Articles 212-1, 224-1 A, B, and C, 225-4-1, 225-14-1, 225-14-2, and 711-1 of the Penal Code; Article 2 of the Labor Code of Wallis and Futuna (4,7) | |
Prohibition of Child Trafficking | Yes | Articles225-4-1 to 225-4-9 and 711-1 of the Penal Code (7) | |
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | Yes | Articles 225-5 to 12, 225-12-1, 225-12-2, 227-22, 227-23, and 711-1 of the Penal Code; Article 15 of Law No. 2021-478 (7,8) | |
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities | Yes | Articles 222-34, 222-35, 227-15 to 227-28-3, and 711-1 of the Penal Code (7) | |
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 | Yes | Articles 461-7 of the Penal Code (7) | |
Compulsory Education Age | Yes | 16 | Articles L131-1 and L161-1 of the Education Code of France (9) |
Free Public Education | Yes | Articles L132-1, L132-2, and L161-1 of the Education Code of France (9) |
* Country has no conscription (10)
† Country has no standing military (11)
As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for enforcement actions to address child labor, including its worst forms. However, Wallis and Futuna has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 3).
Organization/Agency | Role & Activities |
---|---|
Service of Labor and Social Laws Inspectorate | Enforces the French labor code within Wallis and Futuna, falling under the joint authority of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Overseas Territories. (1,12) There is one labor inspector in Wallis and Futuna, and they are trained on child labor laws. (1) |
The French Gendarmerie Nationale | Enforces legislation banning child labor. (1,12) |
As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for mechanisms to coordinate efforts to address child labor.
As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for policies to address child labor.
As there is no evidence of a problem, there appears to be no need for programs to address 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
Based on the reporting above, there are no actions needed to advance the continued prevention of child labor in Wallis and Futuna.
- U.S. Embassy- Paris. Reporting. January 12, 2023.
- U.S. Embassy- Paris. Reporting. January 15, 2020.
- Government of France. Loi n° 61-814 du 29 Juillet 1961 Conférant aux Iles Wallis et Futuna le Statut de Territoire d'Outre-Mer. Enacted: July 29, 1961; Updated May 1, 2012.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000684031&categorieLien=cid - Government of Wallis and Futuna. Code du Travail applicable à Wallis et Futuna. Enacted: June 30, 2014; Updated July 1, 2017.
http://www.wallis-et-futuna.gouv.fr/Publications/Publications-administratives/Reglementation-du-Travail/Code-du-Travail-applicable-a-WF - Government of France. Décret n° 2013-915 du 11 Octobre 2013 Relatif aux Travaux Interdits et Réglementés pour les Jeunes Agés de Moins de Dix-Huit Ans. Enacted: October 11, 2013.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028057273&dateTexte=20190824 - Government of France. Code du Travail. Enacted: May 2008.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072050 - Government of France. Code pénal. Enacted: 2023. Source on file.
- Government of France. Law on the Protection of Minors n° 2021-478. Enacted: April 2021.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000043403203 - Government of France. Code de l'Education. Enacted: 2014.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071191 - UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict: Wallis and Futuna. October 15, 2007: CRC/C/OPAC/FRA/CO/1.
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRC/C/OPSC/FRA/CO/1&Lang=En - CIA. The World Factbook: Wallis and Futuna. Accessed: March 14, 2023. Please see “Labor Law Enforcement: Sources and Definitions” in the Reference Materials section of this report.
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/wallis-and-futuna/ - NATO Stability Policing Centre of Excellence. French Gendarmerie. Accessed January 24, 2023
https://www.nspcoe.org/about-us/sponsoring-nations/french-republic/french-gendarmerie/#:~:text=The French Gendarmerie nationale is,skills both on the national
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