CHILD AND FORCED LABOR IN GOODS PRODUCTION

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000505

SIPDIS

PASS TO KATHERINE COOK AND RACHEL RIGBY AT DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR, DRL IZSOLDOS, AND WHA/BSC KBEAMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI PGOV PA
SUBJECT: CHILD AND FORCED LABOR IN GOODS PRODUCTION

REF: STATE 43120


1. (U) This cable responds to the Department of Labor's
request for information on the use of forced labor and
exploitative child labor in the production of Paraguayan
goods as mandated in the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act (reftel). Per reftel, this cable focuses
on labor used to produce goods; it does not focus on the
children working in forced or exploitative labor conditions
in the Paraguayan services industry, including street
children.

--------------
GOODS PRODUCED
--------------


2. (U) Goods produced using forced or exploitative child
labor are grouped according to whether they are finished
(processed) or unfinished (unprocessed); types of
exploitation and working conditions vary according to these
factors. In addition, because most cases of forced labor in
Paraguay involve children, forced labor is referred to as
"child labor" unless otherwise noted.

-- Finished Goods: According to International Labor
Organization (ILO) Director Bernardo Puente and Ministry of
Justice and Labor (MJT) Director of Interational Norms
Veronica Lopez, finished goods, including bricks and lime,
are produced by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of child
laborers.

-- Unfinished Goods: Puente and Lopez noted that
agricultural products grown and harvested using forced and
exploitative child labor include cotton; sugar cane; corn;
soy; sesame; wheat; mandioca; and stevia, an artificial
sweetner. Child labor is also prevalent in livestock
raising. They indicated that child laborers are most
frequently employed in cotton and sugar cane harvesting.

-- Goods that could merit further research: Puente and Lopez
mentioned that other goods produced, including tobacco,
crafts, garments, unfinished wood and wood products, do not
typically involve forced or exploitative child labor.
Children usually work with their families to produce these
goods. However, given the widespread use of forced and
exploitative child labor present in many Paraguayan
industries, further research is merited regarding child labor
in these sectors.

--------------
TYPES OF EXPLOITATION
--------------


3. (U) Ministry of Justice and Labor International Norms
Director Veronica Lopez, Prosecutor Teresa Martinez of the
Public Ministry, and NGO Movement for Paz, Disarmament and
Liberty (MPDL) Director Eduardo Allende noted the following
types of exploitation in Paraguayan goods production:

-- Finished Goods: Children and forced laborers often work
in unsafe and unsanitary conditions with improper equipment
and poor ventilation, and in confined spaces with extreme
temperatures. Most work is manual and requires repetitive
movement, and in some cases, heavy lifting. Workers are
frequently exposed to harmful chemical substances used to
process goods, dangerous work processes, and unclean and
unsafe working environments. Child laborers are often
treated as adults, performing strenuous activities and
working long hours. Moreover, they often receive inadequate
job training, and industrial accidents are common. Many do
not attend school or attend infrequently.

-- Unfinished Goods: Children and forced laborers usually
work in fields performing all aspects of agricultural
production, particularly harvesting and field burning. They
frequently wear inadequate clothing and are exposed to the
elements for long periods of time. Many lack the tools they
need, including gloves and machetes, to plant, cultivate, or
harvest crops. Most work is manual and requires repetitive
movement, and in some cases, heavy lifting. These laborers
are frequently exposed to adverse working conditions and
pesticides (agrotoxins) that negatively impact their health.
Many do not attend school or attend infrequently. (NOTE:
This is particularly true for child laborers engaged in
cotton production. The summer cotton growing season overlaps
with the school year, forcing some child laborers to miss
school for long periods of time. END NOTE.)

--------------
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
--------------


4. (U) The following sources of information refer to forced
labor and exploitative child labor (in chronological order).
The most relevant sources are highlighted with an asterik (*).

-- Interview with Bernardo Puente, ILO, 2008.*

-- Interview with Veronica Lopez, Ministry of Justice and
Labor, 2008.*

-- Interview with Teresa Martinez, Public Ministry, 2008.*

-- Interview with Eduardo Allende, MPDL Paraguay, 2008.*

-- Interview with Rosa Otazu, Children and Adolescent's
Secretariat, 2008.

-- "National Report on Human Development," United Nations
Development Program, 2008.*

-- "Paraguay: International Rights of Work," ILO, 2008.

-- "2007 Report on Children and Adolescents," Children and
Adolescents Secretariat, 2007.*

-- "Human Rights Report," Paraguay Human Rights Coordinator
(CODEHUPY),2007.

-- "Human Rights Situation in Paraguay," Committee of
Churches for Emergency Help (CIPAE),2007.

-- "The Paraguayan Infant and Adolescent Worker, 2001-04"
International Labor Organization (ILO),2007.*

-- "Truths and Challenges of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Infants and Adolescents," ILO, 2007.

-- "Investment in the Family," ILO, 2007.

-- "Demand for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Adolescents:
The Case for Paraguay," ILO, 2007.

-- "Report on Civil Society in the Rural Context, 2000-05,"
Tierraviva, 2006.

-- "Consulting Forum: Making a National Juvenile Law and
Politic," Paraguay Youth Network, 2006.

-- "Country Programme Document for Paraguay," UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF),2006.*

-- "Sexual Commercial Exploitation of Children and
Adolescents," ILO, 2005.

-- "Income Generation," ILO, 2005.

-- "Application of Legislation in Argentina and Paraguay,"
ILO, 2005.

-- "Prevention and Withdrawal," ILO, 2005.

-- "Paid Domestic Work in Paraguay," ILO, 2005.

-- "Institutional Sensibilitization and Strengthening," ILO,

2005.

-- "Rural Infant Work in Canindeyu, Paraguay," ILO, 2005.*

-- "Scream," ILO, 2002.*

--------------
NARRATIVE
--------------


5. (U) Specific information and statistics on forced labor
or exploitative child labor is scarce in Paraguay. Some data
are available through the Director General for Statistics,
Surveys, and Censuses (DGEEC),the Ministry of Education and
Culture (MEC),ILO, UNICEF, and NGO studies. ILO's Puente
and the MJT's Lopez estimated that thousands of Paraguayan
children are involved in forced and exploitative labor
practices. Many are unpaid or underpaid, lack health
benefits, and do not attend school. Although adult forced
labor likely exists in Paraguay, no information is available.
Data available can be corroborated with the DGEEC, MEC, MJT,
ILO, UNICEF, and local NGOs MPDL, CODEHUPY, and CIPAE. The
sources listed above and individuals cited in this cable can
corroborate the information contained in this cable.

-- Types of work performed: Most of these laborers perform
manual and unskilled labor. See "types of exploitation"
previously outlined for more information.

-- Working conditions: Vary by location. Those involved in
forced labor or exploitative child labor often work in
substandard and hazardous working conditions.

-- Age: Most forced or exploited laborers are between the
ages of five and 17 years of age.

-- Gender: More girls are involved in exploitative child
labor until the age of 12; between the ages of 12 and 17,
more boys are involved in exploitative child labor. The
MPDL's Allende noted that a direct correlation exists between
the type of good produced and the average age of the child
laborer. Girls under age 12 frequently pick cotton, an
activity best performed with small fingers; brick and lime
production requires the ability to withstand harsh working
conditions, and boys over 12 typically work in these
factories.

-- Ethnic backgrounds of workers: These workers are
primarily Paraguayans or Brazilian citizens living in
Paraguay (Brasiguayos).

-- How they became involved: Most child laborers work in
these conditions out of necessity. Many of their parents are
unemployed or underemployed, and these parents encourage
their children to work in order to support the family. Some
child laborers work for acquaintances or other family
members. In cases where the child laborers are coerced,
non-remunerated, or trafficked, the parents typically permit
their children to work or be trafficked in exchange for
monetary compensation or promises of educational
opportunities and a better life.

-- Physical and psychological risks: Numerous, including
physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, substandard working
conditions, and threats of violence and death for failure to
comply with orders. Children who are victims of forced or
exploitative labor also face the prospect of alienation from
their families or local communities after returning home.

-- Debt arrangements: Some forced labors enter into
indentured servitude in exchange for passage to another
country. Domestically, most child laborers work for little
or no money, and are often forced to do so by their employers
or parents.

-- Freedom to leave workplace: Most child laborers who
produce goods have limited freedom of movement. Most remain
at their place of employment at the urging of their parents
or through coercion.

-- Regions/locations where they work: Most of these laborers
work domestically. Others emigrate to Argentina, Brazil,
Spain, and Italy. In Paraguay, most child labor occurs in
eastern Paraguay in the construction industry and
agricultural sector. ILO's Puente noted that child labor is
common in small-scale brick and lime factories in Cordillera
and Concepcion Departments. The United States has large
Paraguayan communities in New York, Texas, and Kansas. There
have been no known cases of forced labor or exploitative
child labor of Paraguayans in the United States in the recent
years.

-- How long they have been in this situation: Varies. Many
children are involved in forced or exploitative labor long
term. Some quit, fall victim to industrial or agrarian
accidents, or are forced out by their employers once they are
no longer deemed useful.

-- Estimated numbers of people in the situations: Thousands
of children are victims of forced labor or exploitative child
labor. It is unknown how many adults are victims of forced
labor in Paraguay.

--------------
INCIDENCES
--------------


6. (U) The following instances of exploitative child labor
are indicative of a larger problem in the production of both
finished and unfinished goods.

-- Child rescue from lime factory: ILO's Puente recounted
the December 2007 rescue of child laborers from a lime
factory in Ita Kua, Concepcion Department. National Police
and prosecutors coordinated the rescue with assistance from
the Ultima Hora newspaper. Puente and the MJT's Lopez noted
that child labor in lime and brick factories is especially
widespread in Cordillera and Concepcion departments and that
the Ita Kua lime factory is one of many employing child
laborers.

-- Child labor in Canindeyu: MPDL's Allende shared the
results of a study of child labor practices in Canindeyu, a
rural department in eastern Paraguay. Allende studied 246
cases of child labor in 2004 and noted that exploitative
child labor is common.


7. (U) The host government, UNICEF, and the ILO have worked
together to implement targeted assistance programs to combat
forced and exploitative child labor in goods production.
Some are effective but limited in scope. Few, if any, host
government, industry, or NGO efforts have been proven to
significantly reduce or eliminate forced or exploitative
child labor. These programs include:

-- "Hugs Program" (Programa Abrazos, in Spanish): The
government's Social Action Secretariat (SAS) pays parents of
street children a monthly stipend to send their children to
school. This program has had some impact in Asuncion.

-- "Tekopora": SAS program that pays parents in rural
communities to send their children to school. This program
has had some impact in rural communities that have received
these funds, notably in Curuguaty, Canindeyu Department.

-- "Scream": MEC adopted the ILO's "Scream" child labor
intervention campaign and methodology to assist
administrators and public school teachers in identifying
child laborers and protecting them from exploitation. MEC
occasionally holds seminars to educate its staff about the
issue of child labor within the framework of "Scream."

-- "Extended School" (Escuela Extendida, in Spanish): This
is a program developed by the ILO and UNICEF now under
consideration by the MEC. The program would pay parents a
stipend to send their children to school to participate in
extracurricular activities.


8. (U) POC for this request is Embassy Asuncion Human Rights
Officer Michael Edwards, telephone: 011-595-21-213-715,
e-mail: edwardsmg@state.gov.

Please visit us at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/asuncion

Cason