Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Kazakhstan (Ratification: 2003)

The Committee notes the observations of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) received on 19 September 2018, as well as the Government’s reply received on 18 October 2018.

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 the Government’s information that from September 2014, the “Road to School” initiative was extended to all regions in the country so as to reach all school-age children. This initiative, which was designed to provide financial and material support to socially disadvantaged students from low-income families, reached 486,948 children in 2014. The Committee also noted that the Ministry of Education issued Order No. 398 of 2012 which allows children of migrant workers, including seasonal workers, to attend school with the same rights as Kazakh children. The Committee further noted from the UNESCO statistics that in 2014 the net enrolment rate at the primary level and secondary level was 86.56 and 95.95 per cent, respectively.

The Committee notes from the observations of the ITUC that migrant underage workers do not have access to education. The Committee notes the Government’s information in its report that the education authorities are working with internal affairs authorities to conduct monthly monitoring of school attendance. At the beginning of the 2017–18 school year, 175 school children were detected absent from school without a good reason for ten or more days. Regarding the access to education of migrant children, 9,897 Oralman (“returnee” ethnic Kazakhs who returned to Kazakhstan from neighbouring countries since its independence in 1991) children are currently studying in general education schools. According to the Almaty provincial education authority, 19 children of migrant workers who came from Kyrgyzstan are attending school in Enbekshikazakh district. The Committee also notes from the UNESCO statistics that in 2017 the net enrolment rate at the primary level and secondary level was 86.27 and 99.85 per cent, respectively. Recalling that access to free basic education is key in preventing the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts to ensure that all children have access to free basic education, including children of migrant workers. It also requests the Government to provide information on the number of children of migrant workers who are able to access school, pursuant to Order No. 398.

Clauses (b) and (d). Providing the necessary and appropriate assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour and for their rehabilitation and social integration, and reaching out to children at special risk. The Committee notes the Government’s information that the “Standards for the Provision of Special Social Services to the Victims of Trafficking in Persons on Their Requests” provide for a range of special social services to trafficking victims, including children, in particular health-care and medical services. The Government also indicates that there are 20 youth orientation centres operating in the country, which provide assistance to children in difficult situations, such as children without parental care and homeless children, in order to prevent them from falling victim to sexual and labour exploitation, as well as exploitation for criminal purposes. During the first 11 months of 2017, 6,413 children received assistance from youth orientation centres, of which 875 were children without parental care and 5,300 were neglected and homeless children. The Committee requests the Government to strengthen its efforts with regard to the identification and protection of children at special risk, as well as child victims of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken and the results achieved in this regard, including the number of children who have been identified as at risk or as victims, and who have benefited from appropriate protection and assistance.