CHAD: 2005 CHILD LABOR UPDATE

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 001367

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, INR, DRL/IL FOR LAUREN HOLT;
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICAWATCHERS; DOL FOR TINA MCCARTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI CD USAID
SUBJECT: CHAD: 2005 CHILD LABOR UPDATE

REF: A. STATE 143552


B. 04 NDJAMENA 1343

C. NDJAMENA 386

D. NDJAMENA 387


1. (U) Summary: The Chadian Government continues to move
ahead on its commitments against child labor. Its efforts
are hampered by a lack of capacity and resources. The most
significant development during this period is the completion
of a survey of child domestic workers in N'Djamena. Per A,
post submits the following update on child labor in Chad.
This information supplements information already provided in
Refs B-D. End Summary.


A. LEGAL REGIME: The Government is harmonizing its legal
code to conform with ILO 182 and 138, which includes revising
relevant government decrees. These changes include
increasing the penalty for employing children under 14. In
addition, legal changes concerning the prostitution of minors
included increasing the penalty to 5-10 years in prison and a
fine between 200 and 2,000 USD were completed during the
reporting period.


B. REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF LEGAL
REGIME: The Ministry of Labor lacks resources to increase
the number of labor inspectors. Chad's judicial system
remains weak and backlogged. Prosecution of labor cases is
rare. However, in May, a Chadian man was arrested in
Cameroon for forcing two children to beg. The Chadian police
had been investigating the perpetrator, a Chadian, and
assisted Cameroonian authorities in his arrest.


C. SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND WITHDRAWAL OF CHILDREN FROM THE WORST
FORMS OF CHILD LABOR: The Chadian Government remains heavily
dependent on international and non-governmental organizations
on children's issues. Lack of shelter facilities remains a
problem. Nonetheless, 256 child herders were rescued by a
combinations of non-governmental organizations, local
authorities, and religious institutions. During the
reporting period, other children in similar exploitative
labor situations have been recovered by the military, police,
and non-governmental organizations. In some of these cases,
local magistrates, judges, local officials, or police
commanders provided shelter and protection for the children.
Otherwise, religious institutions provide temporary shelter.
The Catholic-church backed Justice and Peace Commission
rescues child herders and works with local government
authorities to counsel parents and determine whether the
children can return home. A Koranic School program, financed
by a wealthy sheik and sanctioned by the Supreme Council of
Muslims provides food, education, and shelter to 52 children
sent by their parents to seek employment in N'Djamena. The
school provides an alternative to begging.


D. COMPREHENSIVE POLICY TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOR: Chad has
an Action Plan to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
It will be revised to accommodate recommendations from a a
UNICEF-funded survey of child domestic workers that was
completed in February 2005. The study provided the first
systematic examination of child workers between the ages of
five and eighteen. The study also explored the process
through which the children are placed in exploitative
situations. In the majority of cases, poverty was cited as
the key reason for seeking domestic employment. The majority
of child workers (62 percent) were boys. Young girls migrate
to N'Djamena from southern Chad to earn money to afford to
buy cooking utensils and other household items in preparation
for marriage in the villages. Most children who migrate into
N'Djamena for work come from southern Chad, Logone Occidental
and Oriental and Mandoul. Twenty-four percent of working
children are between the ages of eight and fourteen.
Sixty-eight percent were between fifteen and seventeen years
of age. Thirty-one percent of the child workers were never
enrolled in school. Eighty-six percent could not read or
write any language. Eleven percent could read or write
French and two percent could read or write in Arabic. Most
children left school for financial reasons, some for problems
in schools, and a few to seek apprenticeships. The report's
recommendations include: universal access to free education,
stabilization of family situations, enforcement of government
regulations prohibiting children from working, a
multi-ministerial anti-child labor campaign in the

countryside, and protection measures that include centers for
exploited children.


E. PROGRESS TOWARD ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOR: Various
Government ministries (Labor, Social Action and Family, and
Education) are inching forward on the efforts to combat the
worst forms of child labor. Extreme poverty, continued
problems in the educational sector, and lack of capacity and
resources are significant obstacles to their efforts. In
conjunction with UNICEF, the Government has focused on
prevention activities. Several ministries have held
awareness-raising and training events, which have included
trips outside N'Djamena as well as sensitization of the
country's lawmakers. The ministries supported the efforts of
a DOL-funded researcher to complete a survey on government
actions against the worst forms of child labor. The Ministry
of Social Action held a conference with Muslim leaders on the
plight of the mouhadjir children forced to beg by Islamic
leaders. This year, the ministry is planning a baseline
survey of child prostitution in the oil-producing area.

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COMMENT
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2. (U) To date, the Government's efforts to combat the
worst forms of child labor have focused on laying the legal
foundation for honoring its commitments to international
conventions aimed at protecting children. Current priorities
include completing studies aimed at identifying the scope,
magnitude, and causes of the worst forms of child labor in
Chad. Its next challenge includes finding the resources for
nationwide campaigns against child labor in the schools,
villages, and streets of Chad's major cities. Post works
closely with directorate-level government personnel
responsible for children's issues and will continue to seek
ways to find financial and material support for the
government's fight against child labor.

TAMLYN


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