Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

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

Article 7(2) of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee previously noted that Presidential Decree No. 2001/041 establishes the right to free education but that in practice additional school fees and the cost of books and uniforms were prohibitive for many families and are cited as the main reason for school drop-outs. The Committee also noted that, in the far north, 61 per cent of teachers are paid by parents, compared with 13 per cent in the richest regions. The Committee further noted the statement of the Government representative of Cameroon to the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 104th Session of the International Labour Conference in June 2015 that the average school enrolment rate was over 80 per cent, and even 95 per cent in some regions, stressing that the problems encountered in the far north were due to the war against Boko Haram.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that more and more children are integrated in the education system in Cameroon, owing to the fact that each year it informs parents and teachers that public primary school education is free of charge, and that any parties found guilty of infringing Decree No. 2001/041 are penalized. The Committee also observes that, according to the report on the draft finance act of 2017 (available on the website of the Ministry for Basic Education), a number of programmes, actions and projects have been planned to strengthen the education system in Cameroon in 2017, including the construction of classrooms, purchase of equipment, improvement of working conditions for staff, and support for girls’ schooling. These objectives have been set for all regions of Cameroon, including the far north. However, the Committee notes that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in its concluding observations of 6 July 2017, while noting the measures taken by the Government, expresses regret at the inadequacy of these efforts and at the significant number of children who remain out of school (CRC/C/CMR/CO/3-5, paragraph 38). Considering that education is one of the most effective means of preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to continue taking all necessary steps to improve the functioning of the education system and, in particular, to ensure free basic education. It requests the Government to provide detailed information on the measures taken and the results achieved, particularly with regard to school attendance and completion rates, disaggregated by age and gender.

Clause (d). Children at special risk. 1. Street children. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that, according to the National Plan of Action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (PANETEC), the involvement of children in street activities is a major social concern in large cities and certain agglomerations in the country.

The Committee notes with regret the lack of information on this subject in the Government’s report. However, it notes that the Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for preventing and combating the phenomenon of street children, particularly through its project in that field, which aims to gather information on street children and provide them with medical, educational and psycho-social care. It also notes that the Government, in its combined third to fifth periodic reports of 5 September 2016 submitted to the CRC, indicates that a number of actions have been undertaken for street children, including: the implementation of a project to combat the phenomenon of street children; the setting up of two regional multi-sector mobile units for combating the phenomenon of street children; and the organization of actions to enable 855 street children to return home, of whom 585 were reintegrated in the education system (CRC/C/CMR/3-5, paragraph 190). However, the Government points to a number of problems, including the lack of financial and material resources to respond to the needs of street children, as well as inadequate human resources in terms of both quantity and quality. The Committee therefore requests the Government to step up its efforts to protect street children. It requests the Government once again to send detailed information on the measures taken and the results achieved through the project to address the phenomenon of street children and also through the PANETEC, particularly in terms of the number of street children who have been identified, removed from the streets and socially integrated.

2. Child domestic workers. The Committee previously noted that a survey on child domestic work had revealed a predominance of girls (70 per cent), with an average age of 15 years, and also dangerous conditions of work (for 85 per cent of the children). The survey also indicated that, although social services exist in Cameroon, the absence of an overall policy, aggravated by the lack of statistics, makes it impossible to assess precisely the impact of these services on child domestic workers. The shortcomings identified include the absence of public or private structures specifically dedicated to the protection of child domestic workers and the lack of a strategy for the elimination of child labour in domestic work. The Committee noted the Government’s indication that the issue of child domestic workers was incorporated into the PANETEC, thereby ensuring that the labour inspection services can freely enter households at any time to provide advice, monitor conditions or impose penalties.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, apart from the abovementioned measures, it has committed to ratifying the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). However, the Committee notes with regret that the Government does not provide any information on the implementation of measures to protect children under 18 years of age from the worst forms of labour in the domestic sector. Considering that child domestic workers are particularly exposed to the worst forms of child labour, the Committee urges the Government to take effective and time-bound measures to protect these children from hazardous work and ensure that they have access to education, and to send information on specific measures taken in this respect, taking account of the particular situation of girls.

Article 8. International cooperation. 1. Regional cooperation concerning the sale and trafficking of children. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the trafficking of children in Cameroon has an international dimension involving young persons from Nigeria and the Central African Republic. The Committee noted the Government’s indication that it is participating in a support project for combating the trafficking of persons in the Gulf of Guinea subregion. The Government also indicated that a meeting had been held between the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria to discuss security issues affecting the two countries.

However, the Committee notes with regret that the Government makes no mention of any progress on regional cooperation relating to the sale and trafficking of children, or on the impact of such cooperation. In view of the extent of cross-border trafficking in the country, the Committee urges the Government to provide information on progress made in this respect, and also on the impact of regional cooperation on the number of sale and trafficking victims under 18 years of age who have been intercepted and socially integrated. To the extent possible, this information should be disaggregated by age and gender of the victims, as well as by the purpose of the trafficking (for example, labour or sexual exploitation).

2. Poverty reduction. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that Cameroon planned to reduce poverty and, as a result, to reduce significantly the worst forms of child labour through the implementation of the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) 2010–20. The Committee also noted that, in October 2014, Cameroon and the ILO signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), whose key components are based on the GESP. The Committee also noted that, through the PANETEC, it was planned to incorporate the issue of child labour in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of DWCP policies and programmes in order to make them more relevant.

The Committee once again notes with regret that the Government does not provide any information on the measures implemented as part of all these programmes. Noting once again that poverty reduction programmes contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty, which is essential for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, the Committee urges the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken as part of the implementation of the DWCP and GESP policies and programmes, reinforced by the PANETEC, for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in Cameroon.