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www.dol.gov/ilab
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| November 7, 2004 DOL Home > ILAB |
Saint Lucia Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child LaborThe Government of St. Lucia has given high priority tobettering educational opportunities for its children and supports programs suchas subsidized meals in a number of schools and building new schools.[3768] From 1995 to 2000, the government undertook a Basic Education Reform Projectwith support from the World Bank to increase the efficiency and effectivenessof the education system, and enhance access to educational opportunities.[3769] Incidence and Nature of Child LaborStatistics on the number of working children under the ageof 15 in Saint Lucia are unavailable. Children are found working in ruralareas, where they help harvest bananas on family farms. Children also work inurban food stalls and as street traders during non-school and festival days.[3770]The sexual exploitation of children is a growing problem in Saint Lucia, butthere is still very little information available on the issue.[3771] Education in St. Lucia is compulsory between the ages of 5and 15 years, but registration fees are required.[3772]In 2000, the World Bank estimated that the gross primary school enrollment ratewas 112.4 percent, and the net primary school enrollment was 99.9 percent.[3773] Attendance rates are not available for Saint Lucia. While enrollment ratesindicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflectchildren’s participation in school.[3774] Only about one-third of primary school children continue on to secondaryschool.[3775] Child Labor Laws and EnforcementThe Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Law sets14 years as the minimum age for employment, 18 years in industrial settings, [3776]and prohibits night work for children under 16 years.[3777] The Education Act of 1999 sets the minimum age for employment at 16 yearsduring the school year.[3778] The Constitution prohibits slavery, servitude, or forced labor, except forlabor required by law, court order, military service, or pubic emergency.[3779] The Criminal Code bans the procurement of women and girls for prostitution, aswell as the abduction of any female for the purpose of forced sexual relations.[3780] Procurement is punishable with imprisonment for 2 years, and abduction for thepurpose of sexual relations is punishable with imprisonment for 14 years.[3781]There are no laws that specifically address trafficking in persons.[3782] Hazardous work is not defined in a single law, but is covered through acombination of legislation and regulations.[3783]The penalties for violation of child labor laws do not exceed USD 200 or 3months imprisonment.[3784] The Department of Labor of the Ministry of Labor Relations,Public Service, and Cooperatives is responsible for implementing statutes onchild labor. There were no reports of violations of child labor laws, or oftrafficking in persons in 2001.[3785] St. Lucia has not ratified ILO Convention 138, but ratifiedILO Convention 182 on December 6, 2000.[3786] [3768]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2002: Saint Lucia, Washington, D.C., March 31, 2003, Section 5; available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/19170.htm. See also U.S. Embassy- Bridgetown, unclassified telegram no. 1792, September 2001. [3769]World Bank, Basic Education Reform Project, [online], Washington, D.C.; available from http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=104231&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P038698. [3770]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Saint Lucia, Section 6d. [3771]Felicia Robinson, Saint Lucia Report to the Regional Congress, Ministry of Health, Human Services and Family Affairs and Gender Relations; available from http://www.iin.oea.org/ST_LUCIA_ing.PDF. [3772]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Saint Lucia, Section 5. [3773]World Bank, World Development Indicators 2003, [CD-ROM], Washington, D.C., 2003. [3774]For a more detailed discussion on the relationship between education statistics and work, see the preface to this report. [3775]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Saint Lucia, Section 5. [3776]The government recognizes that the age for the end of compulsory schooling does not correspond with the minimum age for employment, and has drafted a revision to the Labor Code to address this by increasing the minimum age for employment to 16 years. See Ibid., Section 6d. ILO reports that the government has drafted legislation to increase the minimum age of employment to 15 years. See ILO, Review of Annual Reports under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, GB.283/3/1, Geneva, March 2002, 25, para. 120. [3777]Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, 136. [3778]Government of Saint Lucia, Education Act, Articles 27 and 47. [3779]Constitution of Saint Lucia, 1978, (February 22, 1979), Section 4; available from http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Constitutions/Lucia/Luc78.html. [3780]Criminal Code, as cited in The Protection Project Legal Library, [database online], Articles 103 and 225; available from http://209.190.246.239/protectionproject/statutesPDF/St.Lucia.pdf. [3781]Ibid., Articles 225 and 106. [3782]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Saint Lucia, Section 6f. [3783]ILO, Review of Annual Reports, 25, para. 121. [3784]U.S. Embassy- Bridgetown, unclassified telegram no. 1792. [3785]U.S. Department of State, Country Reports- 2002: Saint Lucia, Sections 6d and 6f. [3786]ILO, Ratifications by Country, in ILOLEX, [database online] [cited June 16, 2003]; available from http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/newratframeE.htm. |
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