Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CASABLANCA12
2009-01-21 17:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Casablanca
Cable title:  

2008 MOROCCO UPDATE OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

Tags:  ELAB EIND EAID PHUM SOCI KWMN MO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCL #0012/01 0211718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211718Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8269
INFO RUEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0325
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0985
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0665
UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000012 

SIPDIS

LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB TINA MCCARTER
STATE ALSO FOR DRL/IL - TU DANG, DRL/NESCA, NEA/RA, NEA/MAG,
NEA/ENA, G/IWI, AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND EAID PHUM SOCI KWMN MO
SUBJECT: 2008 MOROCCO UPDATE OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

REF: A. STATE 127448
B: 07 Casablanca 255

------------------------
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION
------------------------

UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000012

SIPDIS

LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB TINA MCCARTER
STATE ALSO FOR DRL/IL - TU DANG, DRL/NESCA, NEA/RA, NEA/MAG,
NEA/ENA, G/IWI, AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND EAID PHUM SOCI KWMN MO
SUBJECT: 2008 MOROCCO UPDATE OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

REF: A. STATE 127448
B: 07 Casablanca 255

--------------
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION
--------------


1. Summary: This message provides requested updates for the
Department of Labor's annual report on the Worst Forms of Child
Labor and Morocco's commitment to combat and eliminate them. It
updates information provided by Post in 2007 and years prior,
concerning Morocco's child labor laws and regulations, law
enforcement efforts, information on violations and prosecutions,
governmental, and non-governmental programs, and policies to
eradicate child labor.


2. The Government of Morocco (GOM) recognizes that there is an
ongoing problem with child labor in the country and has made
significant progress towards eradication of the problem. In recent
years, Morocco has strengthened several legal codes aimed at ending
the exploitation of children. In 2004, the government passed
reforms to the Family Code, the Labor Code, and the Penal Code, all
of which strengthened children's rights. In addition, the GOM
adjusted the ages for compulsory schooling from 7-13 to 6-15 in

2000.


3. Although the GOM informed Post of plans to pass legislation on
the issue of child domestics and trafficking in persons (TIP),no
new legislation was ratified in 2008. The inclusion of TIP and
labor issues in the Human Right's Dialogue between the Mission and
the GOM has led to greater responsiveness and openness on the part
of the government. For the first time, the GOM reported on fines
levied on businesses that employ underage children.


4. The GOM has put forward a National Action Plan for Children for
2006-2015 and has undertaken a number of awareness-raising campaigns
to sensitize the public to the issue of child labor. Furthermore,
the Ministry of Employment along with the International Labor
Organization (ILO) has funded a number of programs in rural areas to
decrease child labor by increasing school enrollment. However, as
in previous years, child labor persists and the GOM's good

intentions are hampered by a failure to implement and enforce
existing laws on the issue. Also, the lack of government statistics
on the issue makes it impossible to quantify any improvements in the
number of children working. END SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION.

--------------
OVERVIEW OF CHILD LABOR IN MOROCCO
--------------


5. Child labor in Morocco is a persistent and widespread problem.
Quantifying the extent of problem is difficult since up-to-date and
accurate statistics are difficult to come by. The GOM was unable to
provide statistics for the number of children under 15 engaged in
work in 2008. In 2007 the Minister of Social Development, the
Family and Solidarity, Nouzha Skalli, in a public interview reported
the GOM's estimate for 2004 as 177,000 children under 15 in the work
force. Most experts agree this number is a gross underestimation of
the scale of the problem.


6. The best information to date still comes from a 2003 report
entitled "Understanding Children's Work in Morocco" (UCW) sponsored
by UNICEF, the ILO, and the World Bank. The primary source of this
report's statistical information was taken from the Living Standards
Measurement Studies (LSMS) of 1998/99 and the Labor Force Survey
(LFS) of 2000 conducted by the Moroccan Statistics Directorate.


7. According to the UCW some 600,000 children age 7-14, or 11
percent were engaged in work. The overwhelming majority of child
workers (87 percent) are engaged in rural work for their families
and not for wages. Children's work in urban areas was broken down
across the following industries: textiles (25 percent),commerce
(16 percent),domestic service (12 percent),repairs (9 percent) and
other industries (20 percent). Girls are slightly more likely than
boys to be involved in agriculture, domestic services and textile
factories while mining, construction, repairs and transport are the
exclusive domain of boys. Working children, like their adult
counterparts, put in an average of 45 hours per week. Girls working
as domestics put in 67 hours per week on average. According to the
UCW only 14 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls managed to attend
school while working.


8. The UCW is likewise helpful for understanding the relationship
of child labor and family. Urban child workers can be divided
between those who work for their family, those who work for a wage,
and those engaged in an apprenticeship. Children in the textile
industry were evenly divided between wage employees (30 percent),
family workers (32 percent) and apprentices (38 percent). In the
commerce sector, 50 percent of children worked for their familie
s
whereas 26 percent are self-employed. Most children in the repair
sector (90 percent) worked as apprentices. 96 percent of children
in the agricultural sector worked for their families and di
d not
receive a wage.
--------------
EDUCATION
--------------


10. Education levels are integrally tied to the issue of children
labor. Most government and NGO programs aimed at reducing child
labor focus on increasing school attendance. Morocco has over the
last decades made significant strides on the issue of primary school
enrollment. In 1990-1991 the GOM reported enrollment in the first
year of primary school at 55 percent whereas in 2000-2001 the number
increased to 85 percent. The Ministry of Education reported that in
2008 that 86.3 percent of six year olds were enrolled in school.
The UCW estimated in 2003, however, that 38 percent of children drop
out before completing the sixth grade.


11. Access to education for children in urban areas presents few
obstacles, whereas in rural areas the level of access is limited at
best. Lack of adequate facilities beyond primary education in most
rural communities often ensures that young girls will not attend
secondary school. Parents are far less likely to send a female
child away to boarding school or allow her to travel any distance
away from home to attend classes, due to cultural and safety
reasons. Moreover, the expense of sending a child away to school is
often prohibitive for rural families. Given the choice between
sending a female or male child to school most families opt for the
male child. The education of a male child is often seen as an
investment in the future whereas the education of the female child
beyond primary school is frequently viewed as an unnecessary
expense.

--------------
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING
--------------


12. The sexual exploitation and the trafficking of children
continues to be a problem though neither the government, NGOs, nor
international organizations are able to provide statistics defining
its extent in Morocco. In 2005 the UN Special Rapporteur on the
issue of commercial exploitation of children received reports of
child prostitution in all five cities (Casablanca, Meknes, Tangier,
Marrakech and Rabat) she visited 2005. NGOs working on the issue,
in particular Touche Pas A Mon Enfant (Hands Off My Child - TPAME),
reported dozens of cases of child prostitution in most large cities
in Morocco. Sex tourism remains a problem. The GOM through the
National Observatory for the Rights of Children (ONDE) has conducted
seminars and public awareness campaigns on the issue. A TPAME
lawyer who works on sex tourism cases in Marrakesh reported that the
GOM takes seriously and prosecutes cases of foreigners involved in
the sexual exploitation of children.


13. A study on trafficking in Morocco sponsored by the
International Organization for Migration (IOM),UNHCR, and the UN
Development Programme Representative in Morocco (UNDP) (Ref B) has
finally received funding and began preliminary research in December
of 2008. The report, which focuses exclusively on victims
trafficked internationally, will conclude in April of 2009 with
publication of the report and recommendations for the GOM. The
researchers told us they were so far aware of Nigerian smuggling
rings that traffic sub-Saharans for sexual exploitation in Europe
and that may include minors. Moroccan women trafficked to the
Persian Gulf and the Levant are generally over 18. A representative
of the IOM reported that in 2009, UNIFEM and UNICEF plan to finance
a separate report which will look at internal trafficking in
Morocco, particularly the issues of child domestics and trafficking
for sexual exploitation.


14. A 2003 study by UNICEF on the sexual exploitation of children
in Marrakech interviewed 100 children engaged prostitution. The
study found that two thirds of the children came from single parent
homes, 62 percent from the poorest social class, and that 97 percent
were illiterate. Three quarters of the children reported having
sexual relations with Moroccans and with foreigners whereas 17
percent reported having an exclusively foreign clientele.

--------------
CHILD DOMESTICS
--------------


15. The issue of child domestics or "petites bonnes" remains a
significant problem in Morocco. Young girls living in rural areas
are typically trafficked by middlemen or "simsars" who arrange
employment with urban families for a fee. Despite GOM awareness
raising campaigns, the mentality still exists among urban employers
that they are contributing to the welfare of the child by offering
employment and a home. We spoke with one NGO worker who admitted
that before assuming her current position she employed a child
worker and did not see the harm in it.


16. A 2001 study undertaken by the Ministry of Labor and the
Municipality of Casablanca with the assistance of the UN Population
Fund estimated that there were more than 22,940 children between the
age of 12 and 18 working as domestics in Casablanca alone. Of this
number 13,580 were under the age of 16. A study by the NGO Save the
Children done in 2001 estimated that there are 66,000 girls in
Morocco under the age of 15 with no relation or kinship working in a
domestic servant capacity.


17. Child domestics, almost exclusively the domain of young girls,
are especially vulnerable to exploitation. Child domestics face
increased risk of physical and sexual abuse from their employers.
Furthermore, they typically work very long hours, do not attend
school, and have high rates of illiteracy. The women's NGO INSAF,
which works with pregnant unwed mothers, told us that the
overwhelming majority of its beneficiaries were former child
domestics. Similarly, Bayti, an NGO that works with street children
in Casablanca, reported that most of its female beneficiaries are
former child domestics who fled to the streets to avoid sexual or
physical abuse by their employers.

--------------
ARTISINAL SECTOR
--------------


18. The UCW report indicates there are some 36,000 children working
as "artisans" in the country who typically begin as apprentices at a
very young age. Weaving of rugs by hand is the domain of girls,
while boys are involved in pottery, ceramics, metal work, leather
goods and shoes.

--------------
ARMED FORCES
--------------


19. The minimum age for voluntary or compulsory recruitment into
the armed forces is 18 years. There is no evidence of underage
recruitment into the Moroccan armed services.

--------------
GOM COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
--------------


20. Morocco ratified ILO Convention 138 (minimum age of employment)
and Convention 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labor) in 2000 and 2001
respectively. Morocco also ratified the UN Convention of Rights of
the Child in June 1993. Furthermore, Morocco has amended more than
240 articles of legislation to enhance the rights of children in the
last decade. Notably amongst these are legislative overalls to the
Labor Code in 2004 which changed the minimum age of legal work from
12 to 15 for all sectors and professions (Article 143). However,
the labor code does not cover the informal sector or the family work
place where the overwhelming majority of working children are found.


--------------
GOM EFFORTS TO ERADICATE CHILD LABOR
--------------


21. The GOM continues to emphasize the elimination of child labor.
In 2006 the GOM launched its 'National Plan of Action for Children,'
outlining the government's strategy for 2006-2015 and headed by the
king's sister Princess Lalla Meryem. The plan's four goals are to
improve children's health and education; protect children from
abuse, violence, and exploitation; and combat HIV/AIDs. In 2007 the
government created a inter-ministerial commission known as "Inqad"
to fight child employment, particularly child domestics. The
commission is tasked with making recommendations to the government
on judicial reforms and working with partners in civil society to
improve the situation of child labor. Inqad also spearheaded an
anti-child labor awareness campaign from January to February of 2007
using print media, radio and television to disseminate information
about the dangers of child labor.

22. As part of the National Plan of Action for Children and the
GOM's anti-child labor efforts, the Ministry of Employment and
Professional Formation led by the Office of the Director of Work, in
conjunction with ILO-IPEC and local NGO partners, oversaw a number
of programs to deal with the issue of child labor. The Ministry is
currently managing four programs to be implemented by local NGOs in
the provinces of Kenitra, Taroudat, and two in Marrakech. The
programs seek to decrease incidents of child labor through awareness
raising, financial assistance to needy families, and lowering
obstacles to school attendance. The total budget for the four
programs is USD 236,000.


23. A bill that would regulate domestic labor proposed by the
Ministry of Social Development, Families and Solidarity (reported by
post in 2007) has not moved forward. The Ministry remains hopeful
there will progress in the upcoming year.

--------------
GOM ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS
--------------


24. Enforcement of the labor code is the responsibility of the
Ministry of Employment through its team of labor inspectors.
Employment of children under the age of 15 years is forbidden by
article 143 of the Labor Code of 2004. However, the inspectors are
limited in number, resources, and investigative power which affects
their ability to fulfill their enforcement function. There are no
labor inspectors dedicated solely to child labor issues and the
inspectors do not have the authority to inspect private residences
for underage domestic servants. As in previous years, the Ministry
of Justice was unable to point to any cases of fines or sanctions
levied against individuals for the illegal employment of child
domestics or the prosecution of middle-men or "simsars" who traffic
children from rural to urban areas.


25. The Ministry of Employment reported that in the first six
months of 2008, 55 establishments were visited with 94 observations
of child labor. 29 fines and citations were given to businesses
employing children under the age of 15. During the same time
period, 184 establishments were visited and 616 observations and 19
fines were given for the employment between 15 and 18 years of age.
The fines and citations given for child work were in the following
industries: the wood-working 23 percent, mechanical 19 percent, and
construction industries 12 percent, and other sectors 46 percent.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


26. There is little doubt that the GOM attaches high priority to
combating the worst forms of child labor, especially the sexual
exploitation of children. The country's adherence to international
conventions, its legal reforms and its organization of forums,
seminars, and awareness raising campaigns on the issue all indicate
a clear political will to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
However, the government continues to fall short in implementing
existing laws against child labor. There are currently no
mechanisms to identify domiciles that employ child domestics and
withdraw them from the homes. Moreover, the government has not
demonstrated any effort to prosecute employers of child domestics
and most importantly the middlemen who traffic them. The current
force of labor inspectors is understaffed and ill-equipped to deal
with the issue of child labor in general and child domestics in
particular.


27. Child labor in Morocco is largely a rural phenomenon, tied to
issues of poverty and education. Morocco has taken steps through
the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the various

government ministries to alleviate rural poverty, extend electricity
and potable water to remote areas, and eliminate obstacles to
accessing education. The GOM needs to fund quantitative studies on
child labor in the various sectors of the economy in order to have a
clearer picture about the prevalence of the problem and the
effectiveness of its dev
elopment programs in countering child labor
and increasing school enrollment.


28. Trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children remains a
real concern. The GOM should enact legislation that specific
ally
outlaws trafficking and create mechanisms to support and defend its
victims. Currently, local NGOs are taking the lead in raising
the victims of sexual exploitation. The GOM, potentially in
partnership with these NGOs, needs to take a more active role in
countering this problem. On the policy side, the Mission will
continue to engage on issues of trafficking and child labor with the
GOM and advocate for the needed reforms and greater action. End
Comment.


29. Embassy Rabat has coordinated on this message.

Millard