Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2020, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Sierra Leone (Ratification: 2011)

The Committee notes with concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 2(1) of the Convention. Scope of application. The Committee previously noted that, according to section 129 of the Child Rights Act of 2007 (Child Rights Act), the provisions related to the employment of children apply to employment in the formal and informal economies. However, according to sections 52 and 53 of the Employers and Employed Act of 1960, children under the age of 15 years shall not be employed or work in any public or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch thereof or on any vessel, other than an undertaking or vessel in which only members of the same family are employed.

The Committee notes the absence of information in the Government’s report in this regard. Noting the discrepancies on the application of the minimum age provisions, the Committee once again requests the Government to take the necessary measures to harmonize the provisions of the Employers and Employed Act with the Child Rights Act, so as to ensure that children working in all branches of economic activity, including family undertakings, also benefit from the protection laid down in the Convention.

Article 3(2). Determination of the types of hazardous work. The Committee previously noted that, according to section 128(3) of the Child Rights Act, hazardous types of work prohibited to children under 18 years of age include: going to sea; mining and quarrying; porterage of heavy loads; manufacturing industries where chemicals are produced or used; work in places where machines are used; and work in places such as bars, hotels and places of entertainment where a person may be exposed to immoral behaviour. It also noted that section 126 of the Child Rights Act and section 48 of the Employers and Employed Act prohibit night work of persons under the age of 18 years. The Committee further noted the Government’s indication that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) had developed a list of types of hazardous work prohibited to children under 18 years of age after consultations with the social partners, child protection agencies and civil society organizations. This list of hazardous types of work had been validated and was awaiting Cabinet approval as a Statutory Supplementary Instrument.

The Committee notes the Government’s information in its report that the list of hazardous types of work is still awaiting Cabinet approval. The Committee once again expresses the firm hope that the Government will take the necessary measures to ensure that the list of types of hazardous work prohibited to children under the age of 18 years is adopted in the near future. It requests that the Government provide information on any progress made in this regard.

Article 3(3). Admission to hazardous types of work from the age of 16 years. The Committee previously noted that section 54(2) of the Employers and Employed Act permits underground work in mines of male persons who have attained the age of 16 years with a medical certificate attesting fitness for such work. However, there appear to be no provisions which establish the requirement to ascertain that young persons between the ages of 16 and 18 years engaged in hazardous work receive adequate specific instruction or vocational training in the relevant branch of activity as required by Article 3(3) of the Convention.

The Committee notes the absence of information on this point. The Committee once again reminds the Government that according to Article 3(3) of the Convention, national laws or regulations or the competent authority may, after consultation with the organizations of employers and workers concerned, where such exist, authorize employment or work as from the age of 16 years, on condition that the young persons receive adequate specific instruction or vocational training in the relevant branch of activity. The Committee therefore once again requests that the Government take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the conditions set out in Article 3(3) of the Convention.

Labour inspectorate. The Committee previously noted that according to the provisions of section 132 of the Child Rights Act, a district labour officer shall carry out an inquiry he may consider necessary in order to satisfy himself that the provisions of Part VIII of the Act dealing with the employment of children and young persons in the formal economy are being strictly observed. For the purposes of this section, any person may be interrogated by the district labour officer. Furthermore, if a district labour officer is reasonably satisfied that the provisions of this Part are not being complied with, they shall report the matter to the police who shall investigate the matter and take the appropriate steps to prosecute the offender. The Committee also noted that similar provisions are laid down under section 133 of the Child Rights Act with regard to the enforcement of the provisions related to the employment of children in the informal economy by the District Council. The Committee also noted the Government’s information that the Child Labour Unit established within the MLSS was also mandated to monitor child labour in workplaces. The Government’s report further indicated that the inspections carried out in the formal sector revealed the non-existence of child labour; however, only limited inspections were carried out in the informal economy and therefore no relevant data on child labour in this sector was available. Moreover, the Government stated in its report that the labour inspectors, investigators and other key enforcement agencies were still operating on old legislation and that they lacked proper training on child labour monitoring.

The Committee notes that, in its comments of 2013 under the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Committee had noted that the labour inspectorate in Sierra Leone was practically inoperative. The Committee therefore once again requests that the Government take the necessary measures to strengthen the functioning of the labour inspectorate to ensure the effective monitoring of children working in the formal and informal economy. The Committee also once again requests the Government to provide information on the functioning of the Child Labour Units with regard to the child labour inspections carried out and on the number and nature of violations detected.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee previously noted that the data released by the ILO on 12 June 2008 indicated that more than half of all the children between the ages of 7 and 14 years were child labourers. While noting the measures taken by the Government, the Committee expressed its concern at the high number of children below the legal minimum age who were engaged in child labour in Sierra Leone. The Committee also noted from the project report of the ILO–IPEC project entitled “Tackle Child Labour through Education” (TACKLE project) that the TACKLE project and the Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC) conducted a National Child Labour Survey in 2010–11 in Sierra Leone, the report of which had not yet been published.

The Committee notes that the Government provided results of the National Child Labour Survey 2011 in its written replies to the list of issues in relation to the combined third to fifth periodic reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of September 2016 (CRC/C/SLE/Q/3-5/Add.1, Annex II), according to which, 45.9 per cent of children aged 5–17 year of age were involved in child labour. Particularly, 31 per cent of children between 5 and 14 years of age were engaged in child labour, while 22 per cent of children between 5 and 17 years of age were involved in hazardous work. The Committee further notes that, according to the State of the World’s Children 2014 (UNICEF), more than a quarter (26 per cent) of children aged 5–17 years were involved in hazardous work. The Committee expresses its deep concern at the large number of children involved in child labour and hazardous work. It urges the Government to pursue its efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour within the country. It also requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice, including statistical data on the employment of children and young persons.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.