Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Paraguay (Ratification: 2001)

Other comments on C182

Observation

Direct Request

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Article 3 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (c). Use, procuring or offering of a child for illegal purposes. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes that section 37 of Act No. 1340 of 22 November 1988 on illicit traffic in narcotic drugs provides for prison sentences of ten to 20 years for any person who incites or persuades another or uses deception, threats or violence with a view to producing or illicitly trafficking narcotic drugs.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (d). Children at risk. 1. Street children. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the comments by the National Union of Workers (CNT), that many children work in the streets in order to meet the needs of their families. It also noted that the comprehensive care programme for street children and young people (PAINAC) of the Secretariat for Childhood and Adolescence (SNNA) had benefited 463 children and young people between 2009 and 2011.

The Committee notes that, according to the study on the extent and characteristics of child and adolescent labour in Paraguay published in 2013 by ILO–IPEC and the General Directorate of Statistics in Paraguay, 6.1 per cent of children and young people occupied in an activity categorized as child labour work in the streets. It notes that, according to information from ILO–IPEC, out of a total of 6,061 children and young persons who benefited from the ABRAZO programme, 5,262 children worked in the streets or in public places. The vast majority of these children (94 per cent) have been removed from working in the streets. While noting the absence of information in the Government’s report on the measures taken to protect street children engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report information on recent results obtained under the PAINAC programme.

2. Indigenous children. The Committee previously noted the activities conducted by the Directorate of Original Peoples, which has operated under the SNNA since 2010. It especially noted that this body provided support to the Industrial Union of Paraguay and the Paraguayan Rural Association so that measures can be taken to raise awareness about child labour among indigenous communities. The Committee, nonetheless, noted that in its concluding observations of 12 September 2011, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted with concern that many children belonging to indigenous peoples are not registered or lack identity documents and do not receive basic services in respect of health care, nutrition, education or cultural activities (CERD/C/PRY/CO/1-3, paragraph 13).

The Committee notes that the Government’s report provides no new details on measures taken to protect children belonging to indigenous peoples from the worst forms of child labour. It notes that, according to ILO–IPEC, following the implementation of an action programme in Encarnación adopted under the ABRAZO programme, the municipality adopted a resolution in 2012 declaring that no children worked in the town’s waste-sorting centre. It also notes that the SCREAM methodology (Supporting children’s rights through education, the arts and the media) of ILO–IPEC, which aims to raise awareness among pupils at primary and secondary levels and teachers of the harmful consequences of child labour, has also been implemented in regions with a high concentration of indigenous peoples. The Committee notes, however, that the 2013 study on the extent and characteristics of child and adolescent labour in Paraguay reveals that 27.3 per cent of children under 14 years of age who speak only guarani are engaged in an economic activity (compared with 16.3 per cent of children speaking all other languages combined) and mostly carry out hazardous work (92.5 per cent). While noting that children belonging to indigenous peoples are often victims of exploitation, which takes many different forms, and are at risk of being engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to protect these children from the worst forms of child labour and to provide information on the action programmes implemented by the Directorate of Original Peoples.

Article 8. Enhanced international cooperation. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the Government is participating in a project called “Ciudades gemelas”, aimed at setting up a regional strategy to combat the trafficking of children and young persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation in MERCOSUR countries. This project involves 14 major border cities in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, including Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). It also notes that the Government has undertaken to implement a regional plan to eliminate child labour in the MERCOSUR countries, involving, in particular, awareness-raising campaigns on agricultural work, domestic work, and the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and young people in border areas.

The Committee notes that, according to information from ILO–IPEC, the Ministry of Justice, together with other MERCOSUR countries, launched a campaign on the harmful consequences of child labour and domestic work in April 2012. In addition, it was reported that the Paraguayan Association of Sugar and Alcohol Producers was invited by the Salvadorean association FUNDAZUCAR to exchange information on good practices for the elimination of child labour in Salvador. According to information from ILO–IPEC, this visit was crucial in strengthening the initiative carried out by Paraguayan sugar producers to eliminate child labour in this sector, in partnership with the ABRAZO programme. The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not provide information on the measures taken within the framework of the regional strategy to combat the trafficking of children and young persons for sexual exploitation. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to enhance cooperation and assistance with the MERCOSUR countries regarding trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and young persons.