Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Sri Lanka (Ratification: 2001)

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the country has achieved gender parity in primary education net enrolment rates with 90 per cent for girls, and 89 per cent for boys in the year 2009, and the primary education completion rate was 98.5 per cent. It also notes that according to the Annual School Census, the total enrolment at the secondary level in 2010 was 3,932,722 with a 2.66 per cent drop-out rate.

Clause (b). Direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour and for their rehabilitation and social integration. Sale and trafficking of children. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s information that an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (Task Force) has been established with the support of the International Organization for Migration, to accelerate the Government’s efforts in combating human trafficking. The Task Force aims to bring about active collaboration among law enforcement and other key agencies to ensure effective identification, investigation and prosecution of the crime related to trafficking in persons, and provides appropriate protection and services to the victims of trafficking. According to the Government’s report, the members of the Task Force meet once a month and share information and good practices among participating stakeholders. The Committee requests the Government to continue taking effective measures to combat trafficking in children. It also requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the initiatives taken by the Task Force in combating trafficking in children, in particular the number of children removed from trafficking as well as the rehabilitation and social integration measures adopted for those children.

Clause (d). Identify and reach out to children at risk. Children who have been affected by armed conflict. The Committee had previously noted with interest the measures taken by the Government with regard to the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child combatants. It had requested the Government to indicate the number of former child combatants who had been rehabilitated in the various centres established for that purpose.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation together with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) provided care and assistance to all the ex-child combatants in Sri Lanka. According to the Government’s report, in 2009, 128 children who were under the age of 18 years at the time of surrendering were re-unified with their families. The Committee also notes that as per the information provided by the Sri Lankan delegates at the 55th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on Consideration of the Initial Report of Sri Lanka under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (Summary Record), the two rehabilitation centres established for child victims of war, housed 363 boys and 131 girls, all of whom were reunited with their families in 2010.

Part V of the report form. Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee had previously noted that the Department of Census and Statistics had conducted a Child Labour Survey and that it has been in the process of tabulating the data and preparing the report. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the final report of this survey has not yet been published. The Committee further notes the statistical information provided by the Government with regard to the number of cases of worst forms of child labour reported to the Department of Labour (DOL) and the NCPA. According to this statistics, in 2009, nine cases of trafficking of children were reported to the NCPA, of which four cases were brought to trial. Similarly, nine cases related to child labour were reported in 2009 and in three cases investigations were pending. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the number of persons prosecuted, convicted and sentenced with regard to the cases involving the worst forms of child labour, in particular trafficking of children. It also requests the Government to continue providing statistical information on the nature, extent and trends of the worst forms of child labour, the number and nature of infringements reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penalties applied. To the extent possible all information should be disaggregated by sex and age. The Committee finally requests the Government to supply a copy of the report of the Child Activity Survey, once it has been published.