TUNISIA: WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR INFORMATION

UNCLAS TUNIS 000076

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DOL/ILAB (MMITTELHAUSER)
STATE FOR DRL/IL AND NEA/MAG (MHAYES, SWILLIAMS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA: WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR INFORMATION

REF: A. STATE 127448

B. 08 TUNIS 0206

C. 07 TUNIS 1568


1. (SBU) The information on Tunisia in the Department of
Labor's 2007 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor
remains accurate, to the best of Post's knowledge. The
Government of Tunisia (GOT) did not respond to Post's
requests for information about its activities in this area
during 2008.


2. (SBU) In February 2008, the Government of Tunisia said it
planned to strengthen the existing child protection laws,
however, no legislative changes were made during the year.
International NGO's in Tunisia told the Embassy that the
Government of Tunisia had said in April 2008 that it was
intending to withdraw its reservations on the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child. However, they have not been able
to confirm that the GOT had carried through with its
intention and the Tunisian reservations are still listed on
the United Nations website.


3. (SBU) Local and international NGOs report that government
statistics on child labor are generally not publicly
available or are disseminated quite late. For example, the
Ministry of Women, Family, Children and Elderly Affairs 2007
report on children's issues was distributed to interested
organizations the beginning of January 2009 even though the
government review process started early in 2008. For 2008,
the Ministry submitted its report for review by President Ben
Ali before January 11, 2009 and it will go to the High
Council for Childhood, headed by the Prime Minister on
January 17, 2009. Once it has passed the High Council the
report's main recommendations may be published in the
newspapers. However, the official publication will probably
not occur until near the end of 2009.


4. (SBU) The General Union for Tunisian Workers federation
does not see child labor as a significant problem in Tunisia.
Existing laws requiring children to be in school and
outlawing child labor under the age of 16 were generally
enforced and provided adequate protection for children.
Observers noted the weak point concerned children who are not
succeeding in school and drop out making them the most
vulnerable group. The government has publicly estimated the
number of children who drop-out before finishing secondary
school to be about 50,000 per year from a total of about 2
million students. Most of these children stay with their
families, however, some end up as "apprentices" in small
businesses (mechanics, small stores, and selling jasmine to
tourists) or, for girls, working as domestics. The
government may be starting to pay closer attention to this
issue. UNICEF assisted the government in 2008 to draft a
report on street children, which may be released in the
second quarter of 2009. There two different types of
Tunisian associations that work with vulnerable children on
an individual level, one that focuses on children born out of
wedlock and has 10 offices spread around the country, and a
second one, the Center of Defense and Social Integration,
that also works with children country wide, especially
children who have come out of prison.
Godec