MAURITIUS: FORCED LABOR AND CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000187 DOL/ILAB FOR RACHEL RIGBY DRL/ILCSR FOR MARK MITTELHAUSER G/TIP FOR STEVE STEINER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI MP SUBJECT: MAURITIUS: FORCED LABOR AND CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS REF: STATE 43120 ¶1. The incidence of forced labor and exploitative child labor in the production of goods is insignificant in Mauritius. The types of work known to have been carried out by children in Mauritius, such as agricultural, domestic, and commercial, are not considered "exploitative" as defined in the ILO Convention 182. ¶2. According to a senior official of the Ministry of Labor and Industrial Relations and Employment, out of the various inspections carried out by Labor Inspectors from January 2007 to April 2008, eleven cases of child labor were detected, of which one was related to the production of garments. The senior official explained, however, that there was no evidence of "exploitative" labor in this particular case as the child worker was being remunerated and not employed by force or coercion. The employer was subsequently fined for violating the minimum employment age provision under the Labor Act. ¶3. The relatively low incidence of exploitative child labor in the production of goods in Mauritius is largely explained by the introduction of new legislation and measures by the government in recent years. In December 2006, the government raised the minimum age of employment from 15 to 16 years, in line with the minimum age of compulsory education. In September 2007, authorities enacted the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2005. This legislation makes it illegal to employ a young person under age 18 in activities that are dangerous, harmful to health, or otherwise unsuitable; or to require a young person to work more than 10 hours per day or between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Such activities include work with explosives, asbestos, heavy metals (including lead and mercury),exposure to ionizing radiation, benzene or other harmful organic solvents, as well as work in confined spaces. In addition, young persons who have not been fully instructed or are inadequately supervised are prohibited from operating dangerous machinery. ¶4. Various projects have been introduced to integrate vulnerable children into the educational system. The Ministry of Education runs a program that gives special support to pupils attending low performing primary schools found in deprived localities. In addition, the Government provides preparatory courses for school drop-outs at pre-vocational training centers. Other programs include a monthly special education grant to orphans, a one-off payment at the start of the school year to families receiving social aid to meet educational expenses, and an allowance for disabled children. CABRERA