Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Senegal (Ratification: 2000)

Article 7(2) of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing children from being engaged in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee previously noted that 25 per cent of children of primary school age (6–12 years) were still not at school. The Committee also noted that more than one child in four in the 7–14 age group drops out of the school system due to premature entry into the labour market. The Government indicated that the gross school enrolment rate nationwide had risen to 93 per cent in 2011, and that the primary school completion rate was 65.7 per cent in that year. The Committee also noted that the National Framework Plan for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour (PCNPETE) has as a strategic objective the prevention of child labour through the expansion of education and training opportunities.

The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the school completion rate for children between the ages of 6 and 11 has fallen from 62.5 per cent in 2014 to 60.9 per cent in 2015, and that this decrease is explained by corrections made to the population census data. It notes that, according to the Education for All National Assessment Report of the Ministry of National Education of 2015, the gross enrolment rate for primary school was 96.2 per cent in 2015 (101.8 per cent for girls and 90.9 per cent for boys), and 28.6 per cent for secondary school (25.9 per cent for girls and 31.2 per cent for boys). The report indicates that 40 per cent of the State budget is allocated to education. The Government adds that it has adopted various measures to expand education and training opportunities within the framework of the PCNPETE, including the densification of the school network through the establishment of new primary schools, the diversification of educational opportunities with a view to adapting teaching to the needs of the various communities, and the improvement of the comfort and security of schools through the installation of toilets, fences and water points. However, the Committee notes that the Committee on the Rights of the Child remains concerned about the negative impact of the indirect costs of education, such as the purchase of books and uniforms, on children’s access to education, the low enrolment rates at the pre-primary and secondary education levels, the high drop-out rates at all levels and the lack of information on the programmes and initiatives implemented to facilitate access to education for children in situations of vulnerability (CRC/C/SEN/CO/3-5, paragraph 59). While noting the various measures taken by the Government to prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour by improving their access to education, the Committee encourages it to continue its efforts to improve the operation of the education system through measures intended to increase the school attendance rate, improve access to education, including at the secondary level, and reduce the school drop-out rate. It requests it to provide information on the results achieved in this regard.

Clause (b). Direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour. Children working in traditional gold washing. The Committee noted previously that children take part in traditional gold and iron mining in the regions of Dakar, Thiès, Matam and, very particularly, in the Kédougou region. The nature of the tasks performed by children involved in this work appears to expose them to dangers which place this type of work in the category of the worst forms of child labour; 1,576 children were found to be working on gold-washing sites in 16 villages visited out of the 38 villages identified in the Kédougou region. Based on an extrapolation from the results of the survey, it is estimated that the number of children engaged in gold washing in the Kédougou region is likely to be around 4,000. According to the Government, an action programme executed by the NGO La Lumière in collaboration with ILO–IPEC has already resulted in the removal of 166 children and in 943 children being prevented from being engaged in the worst forms of child labour through education and vocational training measures.

The Committee notes the various measures adopted within the framework of the programme of action in collaboration with ILO–IPEC, including the establishment of 20 protection committees in 20 villages affected by gold-washing activities, awareness raising of local actors concerning the risks of early work by children, and visits to homes to resolve several cases of school dropouts, sometimes involving the provision of school kits. The Government indicates that these measures have resulted in 486 children being removed from and 977 children being prevented from becoming engaged in this worst form of child labour. The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to prevent children from being engaged in artisanal gold mining and to provide the necessary assistance for their removal from this worst form of child labour and ensure their social integration. It requests the Government to continue providing information on the impact of the various measures taken and on any new programme of action intended to prevent children from becoming engaged in gold-washing activities.

Clause (d). Children at special risk. Child victims/orphans of HIV/AIDS. The Committee noted previously that, in the context of the follow-up to the declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS, substantial support had been provided for schooling and vocational training for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) under the Strategic Plan to Combat AIDS 2007–11. However, the Committee noted that the number of HIV/AIDS orphans aged between 0 and 17 years was estimated at 8,400. It also noted the Multisectoral Strategic Plan to Combat HIV/AIDS 2011–15. The Government indicated that, among the infected and affected population, OVCs are among the priority groups targeted by the implementation of the Multisectoral Strategic Plan 2011–15. In this context, it was planned to increase the percentage of OVCs receiving psycho-social support to 80 per cent of this population category by 2015 and to ensure that half of them receive support for schooling and training.

The Government indicates that support for OVCs has taken the form of study grants, the provision of medical care and nutrition through the regular distribution of food rations up to the age of 18, and psycho-social support. However, it explains that, following the reduction of financial assistance from technical partners, it is encountering difficulties in fulfilling its commitments in this regard. The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to ensure that child HIV/AIDS victims and orphans are not engaged in the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to continue supplying information on the measures adopted in this regard.