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

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Peru (Ratification: 2002)

Article 7(2) of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (d). Identifying children at special risk. 1. Street children and begging. The Committee noted that the “Educadores de Calle” programme (PEC), which targets children between the age of 6 and 17 years who are at risk, has been able to set up 41 reference centres in 20 cities throughout the country in order to provide care for these children. The programme has benefited a total of 3,747 children and young persons, 87 of whom were street children. It, nevertheless, notes that, according to an ILO–IPEC study on the extent and characteristics of child labour in Peru, some 141,000 children and young persons are still working in the streets.

The Committee notes that, according to the information contained in the Government’s report, the PEC programme estimated a total of 903 children and young people living in the streets in 2010. It notes that the “Yachay” programme has taken over from the PEC programme and that it now targets four types of beneficiaries: children working in the street; children living on the street; children involved in begging; and children who are victims of sexual exploitation. The main thrust of this programme is to provide street children with support programmes helping them to improve their family income, sports scholarships for children and training for young people. The Committee also notes that, according to the working document of the National Strategy for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour (ENPETI) (2012–21), a pilot project for 2012–14 has been implemented in the district of Carabayllo (Lima province) to combat child labour in municipal rubbish dumps. The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to protect street children from the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to provide information on measures taken in the context of the “Yachay” programme and the ENPETI in this respect, as well as on any results achieved with the Lima pilot project.

2. Children of indigenous peoples. Pursuant to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s information to the effect that children from indigenous communities are particularly prone to dropping out of school and being involved in hazardous agricultural work in the countryside. It notes that two pilot projects (2012–14) have been implemented in the context of the ENPETI in the country’s rural areas. The Huánuco project, introduced in six provinces in the Huánuco region in May 2013, provides for cash transfers in the context of the “Juntos” programme, thereby benefiting 3,200 families and 4,000 children involved in child labour, as well as vouchers to children and young people who attend school and successfully complete the school year. The “Semilla” project, which sets out to prevent the hazardous work of children in the agricultural sector and to remove them from this work, has been implemented in three regions of the country (Junín, Pasco and Huancavelica). This project aims to cover 6,000 children, 1,000 young people and 3,000 families. Furthermore, this project envisages conducting surveys on the hazards and working conditions of children in rural areas, which mostly concern the children of indigenous peoples. The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to protect the children of indigenous peoples from the worst forms of child labour, by continuing to take measures, especially in the area of education, so as to make them less vulnerable. It requests the Government to provide information on the results achieved in the context of the Huánuco and Semilla projects and on the follow up to these pilot projects. It also requests the Government to provide a copy of the surveys conducted on the hazards and working conditions of children in rural areas.

Article 8. International cooperation and assistance. Poverty reduction and international cooperation. Pursuant to its previous comments, the Committee notes that, according to the Government, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Labour Relations of Ecuador and the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion of Peru in November 2012. This provides for an exchange of political and technical experience with a view to eradicating child labour and joint actions in the border area of both countries. It also notes that one of the ENPETI’s objectives is to increase the average income of poor families with children and young people who are at a risk of being involved in child labour. This objective should be attained by the implementation of social programmes, such as the “Juntos” programme, or programmes linked to employment and training. The Committee notes that the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stated its concern, in its concluding observations of 30 May 2012, that, despite progress in recent years, a large section of the rural population still lived in poverty, and it was particularly concerned about the high incidence of poverty and extreme poverty in areas where indigenous communities were concentrated (E/C.12/PER/CO/2-4, paragraph 17). Noting that poverty reduction programmes contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty, which is essential to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, the Committee strongly encourages the Government to pursue its efforts to reduce the incidence of poverty, especially in the poorest regions, and to provide information on the measures taken and results obtained in the context of the ENPETI.