YEMEN: 2009 CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR UPDATES

UNCLAS SANAA 000225 SIPDIS DEPT OF LABOR FOR OCFT TINA MCCARTER DEPT OF STATE FOR NEA/ARP AMACDONALD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI YM SUBJECT: YEMEN: 2009 CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR UPDATES REF: A. STATE 131997 ¶B. 09 SANAA 104 ¶1. This cable provides updates on the child and forced labor situation in the Republic of Yemen, as per REF A. Hard copy source materials for 2009 have been pouched to the Department of Labor Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT). POC is Roland McKay: mckayrd@state.gov, Tel: 967 1 755 2152, and Fax: 967 1 303 182. ¶2. Post has no evidence of child or forced labor being used in the production of goods in Yemen. EmbOffs spoke to local and international child labor-oriented NGOs, as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, and found no reports of such labor being used in the very limited Yemeni manufacturing sector. ¶3. The child labor situation in Yemen has not changed significantly since January 2009; many of the challenges mentioned in REF B remain true today. Deputy Minister for Social Affairs and Labor Shaif al-Sagheer told EconOff on January 26 that the Parliament had still not passed a draft "Child Law" that would give enforcement teeth to existing legislation. As of late January 2010, the lack of child labor inspectors (REF B) remained a significant obstacle in the ROYG's ability to combat child labor effectively. SECHE