ADDENDUM TO GUATEMALA'S CHILD LABOR UPDATE

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000100 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOL/ILAB TINA MCCARTER DEPT FOR DRL/IL TU DANG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI USAID PGOV GT SUBJECT: ADDENDUM TO GUATEMALA'S CHILD LABOR UPDATE REF: A. GUATEMALA 54 ¶B. 07 STATE 158223 This is an addendum to ref A based on information post recently obtained from the Ministry of Labor in response to our earlier request for information. Responses are keyed to ref B. ¶A. Laws and regulations: In 2007, the Labor Inspectorate authorized 36 work permits to children under the age of 14. ¶B. Implementation and enforcement: The 2007 budget for the Child Workers Protection Unit was Q50,000 (approx. USD 6,494). The Labor Inspectorate has 245 labor inspectors, including five inspectors dedicated to child labor. It has 32 labor courts -- 29 lower-level courts (eight in the capital and 21 outside the capital) and three appellate courts, all in the capital. In 2007, the Labor Inspectorate conducted 295 inspections involving child labor (four in the agricultural sector, 70 in industry, 90 in commerce, 128 private, one state, and two independent),including on-site investigation of pyrotechnic factories. In addition, it conducted eight inspections in the import/export processing ("maquila") sector. The inspections resulted in attention to 3,393 adolescents 14 to 17 years of age, as well as 42 complaints filed against employers for violation of labor laws, 52 mediations, three referrals to the administrative process, 33 instances of employer compliance with preventive measures, and 80 ongoing cases. Of the 295 inspections, most (278) were conducted based on complaints filed by employees; ten were required by mandate of the Labor Inspectorate; and seven were prompted by complaints filed by anonymous parties. In 2007, the Ministry of Labor, with technical and financial support from the International Labor Organization (ILO), conducted five training sessions for officials of its Child Workers Protection Unit and the Special Unit of Labor Inspectors who handle child labor cases. The training sessions focused on the application of Executive Order 250-2006 (Application of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Immediate Action for its Elimination). The Ministry conducted two training sessions on the protocol of attention to the adolescent worker for all national-level labor inspectors. In addition, in 2007, the Ministry trained more than 300 of its employees, including employees of the Child Workers Protection Unit, on CAFTA during four training sessions covering general provisions, the Labor Chapter, the White Paper, and modernization of the Labor Ministry. ¶C. Social programs for prevention: The government has implemented an ILO-funded project in the Department of San Marcos, a predominantly indigenous, poor area in western Guatemala, for the prevention of domestic child labor. The project's budget is USD 93,483. During the year, the government made 95 presentations to 2,375 adolescents at private and public middle schools and high schools to raise awareness of their labor rights and dangerous occupations and working conditions. The Ministry of Education continued to administer its "Scholarships for Peace" program, which provides scholarships for the education of economically disadvantaged children. Derham