Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

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

Article 5 of the Convention and Part V of the report form. Monitoring mechanisms. Labour inspection and application of the Convention in practice. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the selection process for the recruitment of new inspectors by the national department for the inspection of child and adolescent labour of the National Institute of Children and Young Persons (INAU) had still not resulted in the creation of new posts. Observing that the INAU is responsible for enforcing the national legislation on child labour and that with this in mind, inspectors from the national department for the inspection of child and adolescent labour are required to undertake inspections, it thus requested the Government to supply statistics on the results of the supervisory activities carried out by this department in its next report.

The Committee takes due note of the Government’s indication that seven new labour inspectors were appointed to the department between 2011 and 2013 and that 4,195 inspections were carried out throughout the national territory in 2012. According to the Government’s report, the department now has a total of 11 inspectors countrywide, seven of whom are in the department of Montevideo and four in the interior of the country (departments of Artigas, Flores and Lavalleja). However, the Committee notes that the Government’s report still provides no statistics on the supervisors’ activities relating to the worst forms of child labour. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide extracts from labour inspection reports in its next report, as well as information on the extent and nature of the offences recorded by INAU inspectors and the sanctions imposed in connection with the worst forms of child labour.

Article 6. Programmes of action. Commercial sexual exploitation. In its previous comments the Committee noted with interest the implementation of the National Plan for the Eradication of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young Persons (2007–10). It noted that the plan aimed to address four issues: (i) the prostitution of children and young persons; (ii) trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation; (iii) child pornography; and (iv) sex tourism. The Government also indicated that an evaluation of the action plan was conducted in 2010, with a view to guiding future implementation of the plan. Moreover, in March 2011, an agreement was signed between INAU and the courts specializing in the prosecution of organized crime in order to facilitate the processing of complaints related to commercial sexual exploitation.

The Committee notes that the Government’s report provides no fresh information on the implementation of the action plan. However, it notes that a telephone hotline for anonymous reporting of cases of commercial sexual exploitation was opened by INAU’s Departmental Directorate. Moreover, according to information in the report submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in October 2012, for examination by the committee, at its 68th session, of the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/URY/3-5), the evaluation of the first phase of the National Plan for the Eradication of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young Persons should lead to the development of a new action phase for 2010–15 (paragraph 191). The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts and requests it to supply detailed information, including statistics, on the results obtained in the context of the implementation of the National Plan for the Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young Persons.

Article 8. International cooperation and assistance. The Committee previously noted that the National Plan for the Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young Persons provided for the development of cooperation with other countries engaged in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young persons and for the implementation of activities to step up migration control at borders.

The Committee notes that the Government’s report contains no new information on the subject. However, it notes the information concerning the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, contained in its report submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for examination by the committee, at its 68th Session, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/OPSC/1). According to this information, the Government has implemented bilateral projects under the Regional strategy for the prevention and elimination of child labour in cities bordering Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (paragraph 19). The Committee encourages the Government to continue its international cooperation efforts to combat the worst forms of child labour and requests it to supply information in its next report on progress made and on the results obtained in implementing the Regional strategy to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young persons.