UPDATE ON OMAN'S ACTIONS AGAINST WORST FORMS OF

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001711 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA/ARP, DRL/IL FOR TU DANG DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER, E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI USAID SUBJECT: UPDATE ON OMAN'S ACTIONS AGAINST WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR REF: A. STATE 184972 ¶B. 05 MUSCAT 1289 ¶C. MUSCAT 1565 ¶D. 05 MUSCAT 1915 1) Per ref A, the following information updates Post's 2005 report on Oman's actions against child labor, particularly its worst forms (ref B). 2) In 2006, Oman strengthened its legal and regulatory framework to enforce prohibitions against employing children. Under the U.S. ) Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA),Oman amended its 2003 Labor Law to increase the fines and prison sentences for hiring children under the age of 15 (ref C). Oman also took steps to enforce the Ministry of Sport's August 2005 prohibition against employing underage camel jockeys (ref D). Officials at the Oman Equestrian and Camel Federation claim that all camel jockeys registered since January 1, 2006 are Omani citizens and meet the minimum age requirement of 14 years, which is set to rise gradually to 18 by 2009. They also state that the Federation monitors each race to ensure that only registered riders are participating. Oman has yet to specify the types of work that are considered harmful to the health, safety and morals of children as required by Article 4 of ILO Convention 182. Officials at the Ministry of Manpower assert that they are in the process of drafting a Ministerial Decision to update Article 79 of Oman's 2003 Labor Law to meet this commitment. 3) In other steps, Oman agreed to ratify the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Unified Trafficking in Persons Law, which the GCC Supreme Council endorsed during its December 10 meeting in Riyadh. According to local press, Oman will implement the law to prevent trafficking and protect victims, especially women and children, after a transition period of four years from the date of ratification, during which the law's provisions will act as a set of guiding regulations. Throughout 2006, Oman continued supporting social policies that prevent children from entering the workforce. All Omani children and those of expatriates employed by the government are entitled to free primary and secondary education. In addition, the Ministry of Education announced a partnership with UNICEF to develop a syllabus on human and child rights, and study how to incorporate it into the standard curriculum of primary and secondary schools. FONTENEAU