KAZAKHSTAN: UPDATE OF INFORMATION ON THE WORST FORMS OF

UNCLAS ASTANA 003256 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN - O'MARA; DOL/ILAB - T. McCARTER; DRL/IL - T. DANG. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI USAID KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: UPDATE OF INFORMATION ON THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR REF: (A) STATE 158223 (B) 06 ASTANA 891 (C) 05 ALMATY 3112 (D) 04 ALMATY 3206 ¶1. Summary: In accordance with reftel A, this telegram provides updated information on Kazakhstan's compliance with international norms on the prevention of the worst forms of child labor. The cable updates reftels B, C, and D. This information is provided to assist in the determination of Kazakhstan's continued eligibility for benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Post concludes that the GOK is meeting its obligations under the relevant ILO Conventions to prevent and punish illegal child labor practices. There is currently no justification for altering Kazakhstan's eligibility for the GSP on the basis of child labor issues. End summary. ¶2. Kazakhstan, with a booming economy and a strong government, does not have an acute problem with the worst forms of child labor. To the extent child labor in Kazakhstan exists, it is largely a function of migration from much poorer, neighboring Central Asian countries. The bulk of child labor in Kazakhstan can be found in the country's South, where Uzbek migrants work on cotton fields and Kyrgyz migrants work on tobacco fields. Due, in part, to the lack of transparency inherent in cross-border migration, no formal statistical survey of child labor in Kazakhstan is known to have been done. ¶3. Children are generally not found in Kazakhstan doing the country's traditional hazardous jobs: heavy manufacturing, construction, and mining. Farming, the occupation drawing the bulk of child workers in the country, is not officially designated as hazardous. ¶4. Kazakhstan ratified International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor in 2003. In 2005 the Government began, in collaboration with the ILO, a three-year program on elimination of the worst forms of child labor. The program aims to raise awareness of the child labor problem. One of its priorities is to study the commercial sexual exploitation of children, trafficking of minors, and the development of the methods of rehabilitation of minors engaged in prostitution. ¶5. The ILO sees two countervailing forces acting in Kazakhstan: on one hand, rising incidence of child labor, and on the other, the government's increasing recognition - and the institutionalization - of its approach to the problem. Kazakhstan's labor code has a specific section on child labor. The authorities have a wide range of legislative tools at their disposal to effect criminal and administrative prosecution for child enslavement, abuse or coercion. The Ministry of the Interior works to identify at-risk children (such as runaways, abused children, and children involved in gangs) and, in some cases, places them in temporary detention and rehabilitation centers. These centers, which provide classes and counseling, can serve as a stepping stone to a return home (including, in case of migrant children, to the country of origin) or to a transfer to an orphanage. ¶6. In Kazakhstan's southern regions, the Ministry of Education works together with the Interior Ministry and the local authorities to seek out school dropouts in markets, private farms, and other places. Schools closely monitor attendance and contact students absent for extended periods of time. Local authorities do make schooling available to migrant children. ¶7. Comment: Post is satisfied that the Government of Kazakhstan takes the issue of child labor seriously. While Kazakhstan is facing some challenges in this respect due to a growing challenge of illegal migrants, the government is making credible efforts to deal with the child labor problem. Post recommends against any change in Kazakhstan's GSP eligibility on the basis of child labor issues. End comment. MILAS