Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09COLOMBO424
2009-04-16 11:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: INFORMATION ON FORCED LABOR AND EXPLOITATIVE
how-toVZCZCXRO1375 OO RUEHLMC DE RUEHLM #0424/01 1061127 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 161127Z APR 09 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9804 RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3417 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2913 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1559 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8550 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6787 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9192 RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000424
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS AND DRL/ILCSR FOR MARK MITTLEHAUSER
STATE FOR G/TIP STEVE STEINER
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP
E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: EIND ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: INFORMATION ON FORCED LABOR AND EXPLOITATIVE
CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS FOR MANDATORY CONGRESSIONAL
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: (a) STATE 21472
(b) COLOMBO 63
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000424
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS AND DRL/ILCSR FOR MARK MITTLEHAUSER
STATE FOR G/TIP STEVE STEINER
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP
E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: EIND ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: INFORMATION ON FORCED LABOR AND EXPLOITATIVE
CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS FOR MANDATORY CONGRESSIONAL
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: (a) STATE 21472
(b) COLOMBO 63
1. (U) Summary: Post is not aware of forced labor in the production
of goods in Sri Lanka. Exploitative child labor may exist in the
brick industry. Children working in the fireworks industry work at
home and are engaged in non-hazardous forms of work. End Summary.
--------------
Forced Labor
--------------
2. (U) Forced Labor: Post is not aware of forced labor or forced
child labor in the production of goods in Sri Lanka.
--------------
Exploitative child labor
--------------
3. (SBU) Good: Bricks
-(Note: The SBU classification on this paragraph relates only to
discussion of the unreleased list of hazardous forms of child labor.
End note.)
-Type of exploitation found in the production of good: hazardous
form of child labor with children being exposed to dust, lifting of
heavy weights, and kiln work.
-Sources of information: Report on Child Labor in Agriculture
Sector (ROCLA),implemented by Social Policy Analysis & Research
Center, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (March 2008),
as well as field researchers who conducted this study.
-Brick manufacturing is listed as a hazardous form of child labor in
the "list of hazardous forms of child labor" adopted by the National
Labor Advisory Council; this list, created in 2004, has not been
officially released. The list identifies ergonomic problems,
exposure to dust, and accidents as hazards in brick making and
recommends conditional prohibition of child labor in the industry.
-ROCLA reports that children employed in brick making were exposed
to dust. The report does not provide further information regarding
children in the brick industry. According to a member of the
research team, in the surveyed areas, the brick industry is a
family-based, non-formal industry. The entire family tends to be
involved in the industry. They observed children carrying heavy
loads and working in kilns, in addition to being exposed to dust.
-Incidence: ROCLA covered three agricultural districts in Sri Lanka
and reported few incidences of children below 18 years being
employed in brick making. In the two districts of Monaragala and
Polonnaruwa, where the report is based on a limited sample survey,
only 18 child laborers (in all industries) were found in a randomly
selected sample of 600 households, or a child labor incidence of 3%.
The survery found no children working in the brick industry in
Monaragala district. In Polonnaruwa district only 6.7% of the
working children were engaged in brick making. There was no sample
survey in Ampara district.
-ROCLA did not do an in-depth study of children in the brick
industry. Post is not aware of recent studies on child labor in the
brick industry.
4. (U) Good: Fireworks
-Type of exploitation found in the production of good: possible
exposure to gun powder and chemicals.
-Sources of information: Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks)
implemented by the Social Policy Analysis & Research Center,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (2008) and field
researchers of this study.
COLOMBO 00000424 002 OF 002
-Employment of children in the fireworks industry is categorized as
a hazardous form of child labor in the "list of hazardous forms of
child labor" adopted by the National Labor Advisory Council, which
has not been officially released. Fire and explosion risk and
exposure to chemicals are categorized as hazards in the industry.
-The Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks) implemented by the
Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo, Sri
Lanka for ILO-IPEC (2008),which covered child labor in the
fireworks industry in two of the three districts where the fireworks
industry is concentrated, did not find hazardous forms of child
labor in the industry. The study was based on a household survey
and case studies. Activities that are not considered risky, such as
preparation of paper or cardboard cases for firecrackers, are done
at the household level. Hazardous work such as filling the
firecracker cases with gun powder is done at factories. There were
no reports of employment of children at fireworks factories.
-However, the study reports that during festive seasons employers
put up temporary work stations or "cracker huts" and encourage
children to work in these huts. While the report does not elaborate
on the kind of work done in cracker huts, a member of the research
team said they believe that the entire process of firecracker
production is done in cracker huts, including filling cardboard with
gun powder and chemicals. As such, children who go to work in
cracker huts face the risk of exposure to various hazards. The
research team was not allowed inside cracker huts.
-Incidence: The study on child labor in the fireworks industry was
done in two of the three districts where the fireworks industry is
concentrated. The industry is limited to certain villages in these
districts; the surveys were done in those villages. The survey
found a total of 29 children employed in the fireworks industry out
of a total of 185 children aged 5-17 living in the surveyed
households. Out of these 29 children, 24 were students and hence
classified as part-time employees. All the 29 children were working
at home.
-The research team noted that a survey of firework factories would
have been better to study the issue of child labor in the firework
industry.
5. (U) Host government efforts to combat exploitative child labor:
The government of Sri Lanka's National Labor Advisory Council has
adopted a list of hazardous forms of child labor. The government is
in the process of restricting or prohibiting child labor in the
selected industries. For further details please see ref (b).
6. (U) Post has e-mailed copies of the following reports to Charita
Castro and Leyla Strotkap:
- Report on Child Labor in Agriculture Sector (ROCLA),implemented
by Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo,
Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (March 2008)
- Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks) implemented by the
Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo, Sri
Lanka for ILO-IPEC
- List of hazardous forms of child labor adopted by the National
Labor Advisory Council.
BLAKE
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS AND DRL/ILCSR FOR MARK MITTLEHAUSER
STATE FOR G/TIP STEVE STEINER
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP
E.O 12958: N/A
TAGS: EIND ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: INFORMATION ON FORCED LABOR AND EXPLOITATIVE
CHILD LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS FOR MANDATORY CONGRESSIONAL
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: (a) STATE 21472
(b) COLOMBO 63
1. (U) Summary: Post is not aware of forced labor in the production
of goods in Sri Lanka. Exploitative child labor may exist in the
brick industry. Children working in the fireworks industry work at
home and are engaged in non-hazardous forms of work. End Summary.
--------------
Forced Labor
--------------
2. (U) Forced Labor: Post is not aware of forced labor or forced
child labor in the production of goods in Sri Lanka.
--------------
Exploitative child labor
--------------
3. (SBU) Good: Bricks
-(Note: The SBU classification on this paragraph relates only to
discussion of the unreleased list of hazardous forms of child labor.
End note.)
-Type of exploitation found in the production of good: hazardous
form of child labor with children being exposed to dust, lifting of
heavy weights, and kiln work.
-Sources of information: Report on Child Labor in Agriculture
Sector (ROCLA),implemented by Social Policy Analysis & Research
Center, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (March 2008),
as well as field researchers who conducted this study.
-Brick manufacturing is listed as a hazardous form of child labor in
the "list of hazardous forms of child labor" adopted by the National
Labor Advisory Council; this list, created in 2004, has not been
officially released. The list identifies ergonomic problems,
exposure to dust, and accidents as hazards in brick making and
recommends conditional prohibition of child labor in the industry.
-ROCLA reports that children employed in brick making were exposed
to dust. The report does not provide further information regarding
children in the brick industry. According to a member of the
research team, in the surveyed areas, the brick industry is a
family-based, non-formal industry. The entire family tends to be
involved in the industry. They observed children carrying heavy
loads and working in kilns, in addition to being exposed to dust.
-Incidence: ROCLA covered three agricultural districts in Sri Lanka
and reported few incidences of children below 18 years being
employed in brick making. In the two districts of Monaragala and
Polonnaruwa, where the report is based on a limited sample survey,
only 18 child laborers (in all industries) were found in a randomly
selected sample of 600 households, or a child labor incidence of 3%.
The survery found no children working in the brick industry in
Monaragala district. In Polonnaruwa district only 6.7% of the
working children were engaged in brick making. There was no sample
survey in Ampara district.
-ROCLA did not do an in-depth study of children in the brick
industry. Post is not aware of recent studies on child labor in the
brick industry.
4. (U) Good: Fireworks
-Type of exploitation found in the production of good: possible
exposure to gun powder and chemicals.
-Sources of information: Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks)
implemented by the Social Policy Analysis & Research Center,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (2008) and field
researchers of this study.
COLOMBO 00000424 002 OF 002
-Employment of children in the fireworks industry is categorized as
a hazardous form of child labor in the "list of hazardous forms of
child labor" adopted by the National Labor Advisory Council, which
has not been officially released. Fire and explosion risk and
exposure to chemicals are categorized as hazards in the industry.
-The Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks) implemented by the
Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo, Sri
Lanka for ILO-IPEC (2008),which covered child labor in the
fireworks industry in two of the three districts where the fireworks
industry is concentrated, did not find hazardous forms of child
labor in the industry. The study was based on a household survey
and case studies. Activities that are not considered risky, such as
preparation of paper or cardboard cases for firecrackers, are done
at the household level. Hazardous work such as filling the
firecracker cases with gun powder is done at factories. There were
no reports of employment of children at fireworks factories.
-However, the study reports that during festive seasons employers
put up temporary work stations or "cracker huts" and encourage
children to work in these huts. While the report does not elaborate
on the kind of work done in cracker huts, a member of the research
team said they believe that the entire process of firecracker
production is done in cracker huts, including filling cardboard with
gun powder and chemicals. As such, children who go to work in
cracker huts face the risk of exposure to various hazards. The
research team was not allowed inside cracker huts.
-Incidence: The study on child labor in the fireworks industry was
done in two of the three districts where the fireworks industry is
concentrated. The industry is limited to certain villages in these
districts; the surveys were done in those villages. The survey
found a total of 29 children employed in the fireworks industry out
of a total of 185 children aged 5-17 living in the surveyed
households. Out of these 29 children, 24 were students and hence
classified as part-time employees. All the 29 children were working
at home.
-The research team noted that a survey of firework factories would
have been better to study the issue of child labor in the firework
industry.
5. (U) Host government efforts to combat exploitative child labor:
The government of Sri Lanka's National Labor Advisory Council has
adopted a list of hazardous forms of child labor. The government is
in the process of restricting or prohibiting child labor in the
selected industries. For further details please see ref (b).
6. (U) Post has e-mailed copies of the following reports to Charita
Castro and Leyla Strotkap:
- Report on Child Labor in Agriculture Sector (ROCLA),implemented
by Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo,
Sri Lanka for ILO-IPEC (March 2008)
- Situation Report on Child Labor (Fireworks) implemented by the
Social Policy Analysis & Research Center, University of Colombo, Sri
Lanka for ILO-IPEC
- List of hazardous forms of child labor adopted by the National
Labor Advisory Council.
BLAKE