Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Tunisia (Ratification: 1995)

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy and labour inspection. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the extent and the different forms of work by children between the ages of 5 and 17 years in Tunisia, and particularly that 7.9 per cent of these children are engaged in child labour, of whom 75.9 per cent are in hazardous work.

The Committee notes that the Government does not indicate in its report whether the National Plan of Action to Combat Child Labour 2015–20 has been renewed, or whether it is intended to develop a new plan of action. However, it notes the information provided by the Government concerning the reinforcement of the labour inspection services through the recruitment of 25 new inspectors and the training of 48 labour inspectors, within the framework of the PROTECTE project (“Together against child labour in Tunisia”) of the ILO and the Ministry of Social Affairs with a view to controlling child labour. The Government adds that the General Directorate of Labour Inspection (DGIT) recorded 117 inspections relating to child labour in 2022. They resulted in the detection of 28 violations respecting child labour through these inspections conducted in the different regions of the country and in several sectors, including: textiles, leather and footwear; mechanical and electrical industries; and agri-food. Only one violation notice was issued in these cases.

The Committee therefore notes that the number of inspections, and in particularly the violations identified and the violation notices issued respecting child labour, appear to be low in relation to the extent of the issue in Tunisia. While taking due note of the measures adopted by the Government, the Committee once again requests it to intensify its efforts to ensure the progressive elimination of child labour, including in agriculture and in hazardous work. In particular, the Committee strongly encourages the Government to intensify its efforts to strengthen the capacities of the DGIT so that it is able to conduct more numerous and more effective inspections in relation to child labour and as a consequence identify more cases of violations. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on: (i) the reasons why a single notice was issued for violations relating to child labour; (ii) the number and nature of the violations recorded; and (iii) the number and nature of the penalties imposed. Finally, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted or envisaged to renew the Plan of Action to Combat Child Labour 2015–20 or to develop and adopt a new national plan of action for the elimination of child labour.

Article 7(3). Determination of light work. While noting the Government’s indication that a copy of the decree on the employment of children in light work in non-industrial and non-agricultural activities will be provided once it has been adopted, the Committee notes with concern that it has been raising the issue of the adoption of such a decree for many years. The Committee urges the Government to take the necessary measures for the adoption as soon as possible of the decree on the employment of children in light work in non-industrial and non-agricultural activities in order to ensure that the light work authorized for children from the age of 13 years is determined, in accordance with the Convention.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes that, in its concluding observations, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, while commending Tunisia for the efforts made to collect and analyse data on the situation of children, including the launching of the ChildInfo database, recommended it to ensure that the data collected on children’s rights covers child labour (CRC/C/TUN/CO/4-6, 2 September 2021, paragraph 10). The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to compile data on the situation of children in Tunisia and in this regard requests it to provide updated information, in so far as possible disaggregated by age and sex, on the nature, trends and extent of child labour in the country, including in the informal economy.