Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10BRIDGETOWN90
2010-02-05 19:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:
ST. KTTS - INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR FOR
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHWN #0090/01 0361945 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 051944Z FEB 10 FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0303 INFO RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000090
SIPDIS
WHA/CAR FOR KAREN MCISAAC
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP, RACHEL RIGBY AND TINA MCCARTER
DRL/ILCSR FOR SARAH MORGAN
G/TIP FOR LUIS CDEBACA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI XL
SUBJECT: ST. KTTS - INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR FOR
DOL CONGRESSIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: 09 SECSTATE 131997
UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000090
SIPDIS
WHA/CAR FOR KAREN MCISAAC
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP, RACHEL RIGBY AND TINA MCCARTER
DRL/ILCSR FOR SARAH MORGAN
G/TIP FOR LUIS CDEBACA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI XL
SUBJECT: ST. KTTS - INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR FOR
DOL CONGRESSIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: 09 SECSTATE 131997
1. Summary: Child labor is not an issue in St. Kitts. Post has
found no evidence of exploitative child labor or forced labor in
St. Kitts. The constitution prohibits slavery, servitude, and
forced labor of children, and the Department of Labor effectively
enforced this law in practice. There were no reported complaints
of child labor during the year. The minimum legal working age is
16 years. The Department of Labor relied heavily on school truancy
officers and the Community Affairs Division to monitor compliance,
which they generally did effectively. These inspectors may take
legal action against an employer who is found to have underage
workers. According to the chief labor inspector, no underage
employment cases were filed during the past few years. There were
no changes to the law regarding child labor issues during the last
year.
Juveniles worked in agriculture, domestic service, and illicit
activities. In rural areas where families engaged in livestock
farming and vegetable production, children often were required to
assist as part of family efforts at subsistence. Girls often
engaged in domestic service. Such labor included family-oriented
work where children were made to look after younger siblings or
ailing parents and grandparents at the expense of their schooling.
Children often worked in other households as domestic servants or
babysitters. In general society did not consider domestic work
exploitive child labor. End Summary.
2. Tasking I Use of Forced or Child Labor
a. Type of Goods: None, no cases of such production were reported
in St. Kitts.
b. Type of Exploitation Found in the Production of Goods: No
reported cases.
c. Sources of Information and Years: No reported cases.
d. Narrative Description: There were no reported incidents of
child or forced labor in St. Kitts during the last calendar year.
e. Prevalence: Although child labor as defined under the ILO
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor is not occurring in
St. Kitts according to the Labor Commissioner's office, there were
some children who were employed after school and on the weekends.
Helping out in the family business or farm is quite common in St.
Kitts. But, children attend school until age 16 and school truancy
officers follow up with delinquent children to ensure that they
attend school.
f. Efforts Designed to Combat Forced Labor of Adults or children in
the Production of Goods: The Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Social Development operate special programs for at risk
children providing vocational educational opportunities to children
who are failing in the public schools. Such programs provide an
alternative to child labor and aim to keep children in school.
2. Tasking II.
a. Prevalence and Sectoral Distribution of Exploitive Child Labor:
(1) In what sectors (not related to the production of goods)
were children involved in exploitive labor? No reported cases.
(2) Did the Government collect or publish data on exploitive
child labor? If so, will the government provide the data set to
DOL for further analysis? No reported cases.
b. Laws and Regulations:
(1) What new laws or regulations were enacted in regard to
exploitive child labor over the past year? Were the changes
improvements in the legal and regulatory framework? None.
(2) Is the country's legal and regulatory framework adequate for
addressing exploitive child labor? Child labor cases are dealt
with by the Ministry of Labor's labor inspector's office. They are
prepared to deal with any such cases reported to them, but have not
received any reports in the last few years.
c. Institutions and Mechanism for Enforcement:
2C, Section I: Hazardous Child Labor:
(1) What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the enforcement
of laws relating to hazardous child labor? The Ministry of Labor
has the prime responsibility along with the Ministry of Social
Development, which handles cases of suspected child abuse. But
there were no reported cases.
(2) If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, was
there mechanism for exchanging information? Assess their
effectiveness. The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Social
Development would work together if they received any complaints of
child labor cases. Did the country maintain a mechanism for making
complaints about hazardous child labor violations? If so, how many
complaints were received in the reporting period? No complaints
were received.
(3) What amount of funding was provided to agencies responsible
for inspections? Was this amount adequate? Did inspectors have
sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out inspections? Funding is adequate.
(4) How many inspectors did the government employ? Was the
number of inspectors adequate? The government of St. Kitts has six
labor inspectors, who cover the gamete of possible labor
violations, including child labor. The number of inspectors is not
adequate but the government is hiring more inspectors. The labor
commissioner reported to LABOFF that they had not seen any child
labor violations in recent years.
(5) How many inspections involving child labor were carried out?
If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven versus
random, government-initiated inspections. Were inspections carried
out in sectors in which children work? Was the number of
inspections adequate? There were no inspections conducted as
there were no reported cases.
(6) How many children were removed/assisted as a result of
inspections? Were these children actually provided or referred for
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)? There were no
inspections and no removals as a result of inspections.
(7) How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were opened? No
cases were opened.
(8) How many child labor cases were closed or resolved? No cases
reported.
(9) How many violations were found or "convictions" reached? No
violations were found.
(10) What is the average length of time it took to resolve child
labor cases? Unclear as there have been no cases reported.
(11) In cases in which violations were found, were penalties
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence
served? Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law?
No cases were reported.
(12) Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor? Yes, the
labor ministry is committed to ensuring that child labor does not
become a problem.
(13) Did government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement? If so, what (if any) impact
have these trainings had? No special programs have been set up.
2C, Section II: Forced Child Labor:
(1) What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the enforcement
of laws relating to forced child labor? The Ministry of Labor
would take the lead; the Ministry of Social Development takes the
lead on child abuse cases.
(2) If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, were
there mechanisms for exchanging information? Assess their
effectiveness. Although there were no cases reported, it appears
that the Ministry of Labor is prepared to deal with Child labor
cases.
(3) Did the country maintain a mechanism for making complaints
about forced child labor violations? If so, how many complaints
were received in the reporting period? There is no separate
reporting mechanism. The Ministry takes action if they receive a
complaint from the public. They did not receive any complaints in
recent years.
(4) What amount of funding was provided to agencies responsible
for inspections? Was this amount adequate? Did inspectors have
sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out inspections? Funding appears adequate.
(5) How many inspectors did the government employ? Was the
number of inspectors adequate? The Ministry of Labor has 11
inspectors who cover the whole range of possible labor violations,
including Child Labor. The number of inspectors is inadequate to
fully inspect all potential worksites.
(6) How many inspections involving child labor were carried out?
If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven versus
random, government-initiated inspections. Were inspections carried
out in sectors in which children work? Was the number of
inspections adequate? No inspections were carried out.
(7) How many children were removed/assisted as a result of
inspections? Were these children actually provided or referred for
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)? No children
were rescued as there were no cases opened.
(8) How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were opened?
None reported.
(9) How many child labor cases were closed or resolved? None
reported.
(10) How many violations were found or "convictions" reached? No
violations were reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it took to resolve child
labor cases? No cases were reported.
(12) In cases in which violations were found, were penalties
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence
served? Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law?
No cases were reported.
(13) Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor? Yes, the
government seems committed to ensuring that Child Labor does not
become a problem.
(14) Did government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement? If so, what (if any) impact
have these trainings had? No particular training was offered, other
than an ILO sponsored workshop a few years ago when St. Kitts
signed the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
d. Institutional Mechanism for Effective Enforcement:
2D, Section I: Child Trafficking:
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of child trafficking? How many investigators/social
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to
conduct investigations? If there were no dedicated agencies or
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were
responsible for such investigations. Was the number of
investigators adequate? Child trafficking is not dealt with by
special inspectors or personnel. Police would take the lead in any
trafficking investigation. There were no reported cases.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating child trafficking? Was this amount adequate? Did
investigators have sufficient office facilities, transportation,
fuel, and other necessities to carry out investigations? There is
no special funding for Child Trafficking. But the police appear to
have sufficient funding.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting child trafficking violations? If so, how many complaints
were received in the reporting period? No hotline exists for child
trafficking cases.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to child
trafficking? Was the number of investigations adequate? No
inspections took place.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No inspections
took place.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No arrests were made.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were
reported.
(8) How many convictions? No convictions were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No convictions were reported. Child trafficking is not
a separate offense from trafficking in general.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No arrests were made.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of child trafficking? No cases were reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of child trafficking? If so
what was the impact (if any) of these trainings? No special
programs exist.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation?
There has been no armed conflict in recent decades.
2D, Section II: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
(CSEC):
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of CSEC? How many investigators/social
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to
conduct investigations? If there were no dedicated agencies or
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were
responsible for such investigations. Was the number of
investigators adequate? There is no special enforcement agency.
Police would refer suspected cases of trafficking to the Ministry
of Social Development which oversees child abuse cases. There are
no reports of CSEC in St. Kitts. There may be some isolated
incidences of underage prostitution as prostitution does occur in
St. Kitts. Many of the commercial sex workers are from other
islands. There is no evidence of organized trafficking of women or
children for commercial sex work.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating CSEC? Was this amount adequate? Did investigators
have sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out investigations? No dedicated funding
exists. Funding for police seems adequate.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting CSEC violations? If so, how many complaints were
received in the reporting period? No hotline exists.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to CSEC? Was the
number of investigations adequate? No cases were reported.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No cases were
reported.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No cases were reported.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were reported.
(8) How many convictions? No cases were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No cases were reported.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No cases were
reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of CSEC? No cases were reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of CSEC? If so what was the
impact (if any) of these trainings? No special program exists.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation? No
armed conflict occurred in recent decades.
2D, Section III: Use of Children in Illicit Activities:
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of the use of children in illicit activities? How many
investigators/social workers/dedicated police officers did the
government employ to conduct investigations? If there were no
dedicated agencies or personnel, provide an estimate of the number
of people who were responsible for such investigations. Was the
number of investigators adequate? There is no dedicated agency
devoted to such investigations. The Police would refer suspected
child abuse cases to the Ministry of Social Development for follow
up.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating the use of children in illicit activities? Was this
amount adequate? Did investigators have sufficient office
facilities, transportation, fuel, and other necessities to carry
out investigations? There is adequate funding.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting the use of children in illicit activities violations? If
so, how many complaints were received in the reporting period? No
separate hotline exists.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to the use of
children in illicit activities? Was the number of investigations
adequate? No cases were reported.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No cases were
reported.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No cases were reported.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were
reported.
(8) How many convictions? No cases were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No cases were reported.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No cases were
reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of the use of children in illicit activities? No cases were
reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of the use of children in
illicit activities? If so what was the impact (if any) of these
trainings? No special program exists.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation? No
armed conflict during the last few decades.
e. Government Policies on Child Labor:
(1) Did the government have a policy or plan that specifically
addresses exploitive child labor? Please describe. The government
does not have an exploitative child labor action plan.
(2) Did the country incorporate exploitive child labor
specifically as an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction,
development, educational or other social policies, such as Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers, etc? Please describe. The government
does not have an exploitative child labor plan.
(3) Did the government provide funding to the plans described
above? Please describe the amount and whether it was sufficient to
carry out the planned activities. No funds were dedicated to these
programs.
(4) Did the government provide non-monetary support to child
labor plans. Please describe. No such provisions were made.
(5) Provide any additional information about the status and
effectiveness of the government's policies or plans during the
reporting period in regard to exploitive child labor. The
government is prepared to address the issue if it becomes a
problem.
(6) Did the government participate in any commissions or task
forces regarding exploitive child labor? Was the commission active
and/or effective? No special task force has been set up.
(7) Did the government sign a bilateral, regional, or
international agreement to combat trafficking? The Government has
ratified the applicable international agreements on trafficking and
the ILO convention on the worst forms of child labor.
f. Social Programs to Eliminate or Prevent Child Labor:
(1) Did the government implement any programs specifically to
address the worst forms of child labor? No special programs have
been enacted.
(2) Did the country incorporate child labor specifically as an
issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, development,
educational or other social programs, such as conditional cash
transfer programs or eligibility for school meals, etc? Please
describe. No such programs exist.
(3) Did the government provide funding to the programs described
above? If so, describe the amount and whether it was sufficient to
carry out the planned activities. No such programs exist.
(4) Did the government provide non-monetary support to child
labor programs? Please describe. No such programs exist.
(5) Provide any additional information about the status and
effectiveness of the government's activities in relation to the
programs described above. and describe and assess the effectiveness
of these services. No such programs exist.
(6) If the government signed one or more bilateral, regional or
international agreements to combat trafficking, what steps did it
take to implement such agreements? Did the agreements result in
tangible improvements? If so, please describe. The government has
signed the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and has
taken steps to ensure that it is compliance.
g. Continual Progress:
St. Kitts does not have a child labor problem but is committed to
ensuring that exploitative child labor does not take root in St.
Kitts. The government is justly proud of its high school
attendance rate.
HARDT
SIPDIS
WHA/CAR FOR KAREN MCISAAC
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP, RACHEL RIGBY AND TINA MCCARTER
DRL/ILCSR FOR SARAH MORGAN
G/TIP FOR LUIS CDEBACA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI XL
SUBJECT: ST. KTTS - INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR FOR
DOL CONGRESSIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
REF: 09 SECSTATE 131997
1. Summary: Child labor is not an issue in St. Kitts. Post has
found no evidence of exploitative child labor or forced labor in
St. Kitts. The constitution prohibits slavery, servitude, and
forced labor of children, and the Department of Labor effectively
enforced this law in practice. There were no reported complaints
of child labor during the year. The minimum legal working age is
16 years. The Department of Labor relied heavily on school truancy
officers and the Community Affairs Division to monitor compliance,
which they generally did effectively. These inspectors may take
legal action against an employer who is found to have underage
workers. According to the chief labor inspector, no underage
employment cases were filed during the past few years. There were
no changes to the law regarding child labor issues during the last
year.
Juveniles worked in agriculture, domestic service, and illicit
activities. In rural areas where families engaged in livestock
farming and vegetable production, children often were required to
assist as part of family efforts at subsistence. Girls often
engaged in domestic service. Such labor included family-oriented
work where children were made to look after younger siblings or
ailing parents and grandparents at the expense of their schooling.
Children often worked in other households as domestic servants or
babysitters. In general society did not consider domestic work
exploitive child labor. End Summary.
2. Tasking I Use of Forced or Child Labor
a. Type of Goods: None, no cases of such production were reported
in St. Kitts.
b. Type of Exploitation Found in the Production of Goods: No
reported cases.
c. Sources of Information and Years: No reported cases.
d. Narrative Description: There were no reported incidents of
child or forced labor in St. Kitts during the last calendar year.
e. Prevalence: Although child labor as defined under the ILO
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor is not occurring in
St. Kitts according to the Labor Commissioner's office, there were
some children who were employed after school and on the weekends.
Helping out in the family business or farm is quite common in St.
Kitts. But, children attend school until age 16 and school truancy
officers follow up with delinquent children to ensure that they
attend school.
f. Efforts Designed to Combat Forced Labor of Adults or children in
the Production of Goods: The Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Social Development operate special programs for at risk
children providing vocational educational opportunities to children
who are failing in the public schools. Such programs provide an
alternative to child labor and aim to keep children in school.
2. Tasking II.
a. Prevalence and Sectoral Distribution of Exploitive Child Labor:
(1) In what sectors (not related to the production of goods)
were children involved in exploitive labor? No reported cases.
(2) Did the Government collect or publish data on exploitive
child labor? If so, will the government provide the data set to
DOL for further analysis? No reported cases.
b. Laws and Regulations:
(1) What new laws or regulations were enacted in regard to
exploitive child labor over the past year? Were the changes
improvements in the legal and regulatory framework? None.
(2) Is the country's legal and regulatory framework adequate for
addressing exploitive child labor? Child labor cases are dealt
with by the Ministry of Labor's labor inspector's office. They are
prepared to deal with any such cases reported to them, but have not
received any reports in the last few years.
c. Institutions and Mechanism for Enforcement:
2C, Section I: Hazardous Child Labor:
(1) What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the enforcement
of laws relating to hazardous child labor? The Ministry of Labor
has the prime responsibility along with the Ministry of Social
Development, which handles cases of suspected child abuse. But
there were no reported cases.
(2) If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, was
there mechanism for exchanging information? Assess their
effectiveness. The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Social
Development would work together if they received any complaints of
child labor cases. Did the country maintain a mechanism for making
complaints about hazardous child labor violations? If so, how many
complaints were received in the reporting period? No complaints
were received.
(3) What amount of funding was provided to agencies responsible
for inspections? Was this amount adequate? Did inspectors have
sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out inspections? Funding is adequate.
(4) How many inspectors did the government employ? Was the
number of inspectors adequate? The government of St. Kitts has six
labor inspectors, who cover the gamete of possible labor
violations, including child labor. The number of inspectors is not
adequate but the government is hiring more inspectors. The labor
commissioner reported to LABOFF that they had not seen any child
labor violations in recent years.
(5) How many inspections involving child labor were carried out?
If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven versus
random, government-initiated inspections. Were inspections carried
out in sectors in which children work? Was the number of
inspections adequate? There were no inspections conducted as
there were no reported cases.
(6) How many children were removed/assisted as a result of
inspections? Were these children actually provided or referred for
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)? There were no
inspections and no removals as a result of inspections.
(7) How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were opened? No
cases were opened.
(8) How many child labor cases were closed or resolved? No cases
reported.
(9) How many violations were found or "convictions" reached? No
violations were found.
(10) What is the average length of time it took to resolve child
labor cases? Unclear as there have been no cases reported.
(11) In cases in which violations were found, were penalties
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence
served? Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law?
No cases were reported.
(12) Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor? Yes, the
labor ministry is committed to ensuring that child labor does not
become a problem.
(13) Did government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement? If so, what (if any) impact
have these trainings had? No special programs have been set up.
2C, Section II: Forced Child Labor:
(1) What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the enforcement
of laws relating to forced child labor? The Ministry of Labor
would take the lead; the Ministry of Social Development takes the
lead on child abuse cases.
(2) If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, were
there mechanisms for exchanging information? Assess their
effectiveness. Although there were no cases reported, it appears
that the Ministry of Labor is prepared to deal with Child labor
cases.
(3) Did the country maintain a mechanism for making complaints
about forced child labor violations? If so, how many complaints
were received in the reporting period? There is no separate
reporting mechanism. The Ministry takes action if they receive a
complaint from the public. They did not receive any complaints in
recent years.
(4) What amount of funding was provided to agencies responsible
for inspections? Was this amount adequate? Did inspectors have
sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out inspections? Funding appears adequate.
(5) How many inspectors did the government employ? Was the
number of inspectors adequate? The Ministry of Labor has 11
inspectors who cover the whole range of possible labor violations,
including Child Labor. The number of inspectors is inadequate to
fully inspect all potential worksites.
(6) How many inspections involving child labor were carried out?
If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven versus
random, government-initiated inspections. Were inspections carried
out in sectors in which children work? Was the number of
inspections adequate? No inspections were carried out.
(7) How many children were removed/assisted as a result of
inspections? Were these children actually provided or referred for
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)? No children
were rescued as there were no cases opened.
(8) How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were opened?
None reported.
(9) How many child labor cases were closed or resolved? None
reported.
(10) How many violations were found or "convictions" reached? No
violations were reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it took to resolve child
labor cases? No cases were reported.
(12) In cases in which violations were found, were penalties
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence
served? Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law?
No cases were reported.
(13) Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor? Yes, the
government seems committed to ensuring that Child Labor does not
become a problem.
(14) Did government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement? If so, what (if any) impact
have these trainings had? No particular training was offered, other
than an ILO sponsored workshop a few years ago when St. Kitts
signed the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
d. Institutional Mechanism for Effective Enforcement:
2D, Section I: Child Trafficking:
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of child trafficking? How many investigators/social
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to
conduct investigations? If there were no dedicated agencies or
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were
responsible for such investigations. Was the number of
investigators adequate? Child trafficking is not dealt with by
special inspectors or personnel. Police would take the lead in any
trafficking investigation. There were no reported cases.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating child trafficking? Was this amount adequate? Did
investigators have sufficient office facilities, transportation,
fuel, and other necessities to carry out investigations? There is
no special funding for Child Trafficking. But the police appear to
have sufficient funding.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting child trafficking violations? If so, how many complaints
were received in the reporting period? No hotline exists for child
trafficking cases.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to child
trafficking? Was the number of investigations adequate? No
inspections took place.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No inspections
took place.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No arrests were made.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were
reported.
(8) How many convictions? No convictions were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No convictions were reported. Child trafficking is not
a separate offense from trafficking in general.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No arrests were made.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of child trafficking? No cases were reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of child trafficking? If so
what was the impact (if any) of these trainings? No special
programs exist.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation?
There has been no armed conflict in recent decades.
2D, Section II: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
(CSEC):
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of CSEC? How many investigators/social
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to
conduct investigations? If there were no dedicated agencies or
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were
responsible for such investigations. Was the number of
investigators adequate? There is no special enforcement agency.
Police would refer suspected cases of trafficking to the Ministry
of Social Development which oversees child abuse cases. There are
no reports of CSEC in St. Kitts. There may be some isolated
incidences of underage prostitution as prostitution does occur in
St. Kitts. Many of the commercial sex workers are from other
islands. There is no evidence of organized trafficking of women or
children for commercial sex work.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating CSEC? Was this amount adequate? Did investigators
have sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other
necessities to carry out investigations? No dedicated funding
exists. Funding for police seems adequate.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting CSEC violations? If so, how many complaints were
received in the reporting period? No hotline exists.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to CSEC? Was the
number of investigations adequate? No cases were reported.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No cases were
reported.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No cases were reported.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were reported.
(8) How many convictions? No cases were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No cases were reported.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No cases were
reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of CSEC? No cases were reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of CSEC? If so what was the
impact (if any) of these trainings? No special program exists.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation? No
armed conflict occurred in recent decades.
2D, Section III: Use of Children in Illicit Activities:
(1) Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of the use of children in illicit activities? How many
investigators/social workers/dedicated police officers did the
government employ to conduct investigations? If there were no
dedicated agencies or personnel, provide an estimate of the number
of people who were responsible for such investigations. Was the
number of investigators adequate? There is no dedicated agency
devoted to such investigations. The Police would refer suspected
child abuse cases to the Ministry of Social Development for follow
up.
(2) How much funding was provided agencies responsible for
investigating the use of children in illicit activities? Was this
amount adequate? Did investigators have sufficient office
facilities, transportation, fuel, and other necessities to carry
out investigations? There is adequate funding.
(3) Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism for
reporting the use of children in illicit activities violations? If
so, how many complaints were received in the reporting period? No
separate hotline exists.
(4) How many investigations were opened in regard to the use of
children in illicit activities? Was the number of investigations
adequate? No cases were reported.
(5) How many children were rescued as a result? No cases were
reported.
(6) How many arrests were made or other kinds of prosecutions
carried out? No cases were reported.
(7) How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were
reported.
(8) How many convictions? No cases were reported.
(9) Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the legal
framework? No cases were reported.
(10) Were sentences imposed actually served? No cases were
reported.
(11) What is the average length of time it takes to resolve cases
of the use of children in illicit activities? No cases were
reported.
(12) Did the government offer any training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of the use of children in
illicit activities? If so what was the impact (if any) of these
trainings? No special program exists.
(13) If the country experienced armed conflict during the
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible?
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation? No
armed conflict during the last few decades.
e. Government Policies on Child Labor:
(1) Did the government have a policy or plan that specifically
addresses exploitive child labor? Please describe. The government
does not have an exploitative child labor action plan.
(2) Did the country incorporate exploitive child labor
specifically as an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction,
development, educational or other social policies, such as Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers, etc? Please describe. The government
does not have an exploitative child labor plan.
(3) Did the government provide funding to the plans described
above? Please describe the amount and whether it was sufficient to
carry out the planned activities. No funds were dedicated to these
programs.
(4) Did the government provide non-monetary support to child
labor plans. Please describe. No such provisions were made.
(5) Provide any additional information about the status and
effectiveness of the government's policies or plans during the
reporting period in regard to exploitive child labor. The
government is prepared to address the issue if it becomes a
problem.
(6) Did the government participate in any commissions or task
forces regarding exploitive child labor? Was the commission active
and/or effective? No special task force has been set up.
(7) Did the government sign a bilateral, regional, or
international agreement to combat trafficking? The Government has
ratified the applicable international agreements on trafficking and
the ILO convention on the worst forms of child labor.
f. Social Programs to Eliminate or Prevent Child Labor:
(1) Did the government implement any programs specifically to
address the worst forms of child labor? No special programs have
been enacted.
(2) Did the country incorporate child labor specifically as an
issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, development,
educational or other social programs, such as conditional cash
transfer programs or eligibility for school meals, etc? Please
describe. No such programs exist.
(3) Did the government provide funding to the programs described
above? If so, describe the amount and whether it was sufficient to
carry out the planned activities. No such programs exist.
(4) Did the government provide non-monetary support to child
labor programs? Please describe. No such programs exist.
(5) Provide any additional information about the status and
effectiveness of the government's activities in relation to the
programs described above. and describe and assess the effectiveness
of these services. No such programs exist.
(6) If the government signed one or more bilateral, regional or
international agreements to combat trafficking, what steps did it
take to implement such agreements? Did the agreements result in
tangible improvements? If so, please describe. The government has
signed the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and has
taken steps to ensure that it is compliance.
g. Continual Progress:
St. Kitts does not have a child labor problem but is committed to
ensuring that exploitative child labor does not take root in St.
Kitts. The government is justly proud of its high school
attendance rate.
HARDT