EGYPT - UPDATE ON GSP PROVISIONS ON THE WORST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 007068 SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL/IL (LHOLT) AND NEA/ELA LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB (TMCCARTER) GENEVA FOR INFO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND EG PHUM SOCI ETRB USAID SUBJECT: EGYPT - UPDATE ON GSP PROVISIONS ON THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR REF: A. 04 CAIRO 06563 ¶B. STATE 143552 ¶1. Summary: The Government of Egypt (GOE) continues to make progress on restricting and regulating child labor. The GOE and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working together to increase awareness of child labor-related issues and enforcement. Per ref B request, the following information updates developments in child labor in Egypt since our last report in August 2004 (ref A). End Summary. -------------- -------------- Laws and regulations proscribing the worst forms of child labor (Section A) -------------- -------------- ¶2. The Department for Legal Protection of the Child at the Ministry of Justice is working with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) to finalize changes to Child Law number 12 of 1996 and its executive regulations. The changes will reflect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) and feedback from the government and NGO community. The Ministry of Justice initiated during the reporting period efforts to draft and enact comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in accordance with international standards. The NCCM worked with local NGOs and concerned government authorities to organize seminars and workshops on the suggested legal amendments to legislation regulating children's employment and governing childcare. The NCCM is coordinating with the Ministry of Education to include the most important articles of the CRC in schools' curricula. ¶3. Changes to the Child Law would increase penalties for child abuse in homes, schools and care institutions, protect children's privacy and the right to non-discrimination and allow jail confinement for punishment only in the strictest of cases after pursuing social channels for child protection and rehabilitation. The changes would also raise the marrying age for males and females, guarantee gender equality, raise the minimum level for child employment to 15, prohibit engaging in hazardous activities and raise the legal responsibility for children. ¶4. While not a matter of law, the Mufti of Egypt (a senior government-appointed Islamic cleric) publicly stated it is religiously forbidden to exploit children, especially underage, in any activity or commercial operation and that children should only focus on getting a good education. The Mufti stated children should not be morally, physically or psychologically abused as this is religiously unacceptable and is considered sinful for their employers and caretakers. Such public statements carry great weight and bolster social and cultural ethics combating child abuse. -------------- -------------- Regulations for the implementation and enforcement of proscriptions against the worst forms of child labor. (Section B) -------------- -------------- ¶5. Enforcement of laws barring child labor remains a priority for the GOE. Several cases involving the enforcement of child labor-related legislation by the Ministry of Manpower and Migration (MOMM),the NCCM and the Ministry of Interior were reported by the local press throughout the reporting period (August 2004-August 2005). In most reported cases children were removed from the work environment and legal action was taken against the employers who were found to be in violation of child labor-prohibiting legislation. Over the past year, the local press increasingly reported on arrests of individuals coercing street children to beg, steal and work in informal activities and reported on strict penalties on individuals caught abusing their domestic servants. ¶6. The NCCM is working with the Ministry of Interior to train police officers working with juveniles on best practices in dealing with children at risk and children's rights. -------------- -------------- Whether there are social programs to prevent and withdraw children from the worst forms of child labor (Section C) -------------- -------------- ¶7. The NCCM established a permanent committee to combat violence against children, which will have branches in all governorates. The committees will include representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Social Affairs, Justice, Education and Health and representatives from the civil society and volunteers from the governorates to follow up on cases of violence and take the necessary measures to reduce such cases. ¶8. Projects carried out under the USAID-funded NGO Service Center were instrumental in carrying out child labor advocacy and providing direct support to affected children, including in the governates outside of the capital. In Alexandria, for example, NGO advocacy resulted in the establishment of a new unit to provide non-conventional education for school dropouts and free health services to working children. Extensive field research was conducted in Qena and Suez with findings presented to national and local government as well as the ILO. In Qalubiya Governate, a beneficiary community development association carried out an extensive advocacy campaign for the enforcement of child labor laws. ¶9. The Regional Consultation on the Violence Against Children study was held in Cairo in June 2005. The study is a United Nations-led collaboration, mandated by the General Assembly, to draw together existing research and relevant information about the forms, causes and impact of violence affecting children and young people (up to the age of 18 years). The study will promote ideas for action to prevent and reduce such violence and to suggest ways in which these might be strengthened at local, national, and international levels. ¶10. The MOMM worked with the Ministry of Education to identify governorates with high dropout rates, and has increased child labor inspection in those areas. The Ministry of Education is working with government authorities to link school attendance with the national identification system through which Egyptians receive ID numbers. This linkage would allow the Ministry to identify dropouts and target areas with high dropout rates. ¶11. The Minister of Information and the NCCM are cooperating to increase public awareness on the issue of child labor and its hazards. Advertisements highlighting the negative impact of child labor on children, their families and employers are being aired on national television in addition to printed advertisements on public buses. -------------- -------------- Does Egypt have a comprehensive policy aimed at the elimination of the worst forms of child labor (Section D) -------------- -------------- ¶12. The NCCM worked with the MOMM, Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF),ILO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),Ministries of Social Affairs, Agriculture, Education, Health and Interior to formulate and implement the national strategy to combat child labor and eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Several meetings headed by Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak were organized by the NCCM during the reporting period to discuss issues related to child protection generally, and child labor specifically, and were attended for the first time by the Egyptian Prime Minister. The high-level involvement in child-related issues lends importance and political weight to the enforcement and speed at which policies and projects are implemented. ¶13. The NCCM used in the formulation of the strategy results of a national survey conducted in 2001 by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on child labor in Egypt. The NCCM was expected to announce results of the national survey in a ceremony under the auspices of the Egyptian First Lady in 2003. Although the ceremony was not held, results of the survey were finally publicized at the end of 2004 on the website of the NCCM www.nccm.org.eg/ardefault.htm. The NCCM used the results of the survey to target four governorates, including Sharkia, Menofia, Menia and Damietta, found to have the highest rate of the worst forms of child labor, to set up social and economic projects to remove working children into non-hazardous activities. The projects aim at gradually eliminating all forms of child labor. -------------- -------------- Is Egypt making continual progress toward eliminating the worst forms of child labor (Section E) -------------- -------------- ¶13. Many challenges remain, but the GOE is making progress toward eliminating the worst forms of child labor. The NCCM continued to organize a series of workshops for children, youth, government and NGO representatives to raise awareness of the UN CRC and is preparing Egypt's third report on its progress in the implementation of the UN CRC and is discussing the report with concerned parties in government and the the NGO community in the governorates. The MOMM organized awareness-raising workshops and seminars in all 26 governorates on the negative impact of employing children in hazardous and non-hazardous activities, legislation prohibiting child labor and problems obstructing the enforcement of child labor regulations. Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. RICCIARDONE