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

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Suriname (Ratification: 2018)

Article 2(1) and 4(1) of the Convention. Scope of application. Family workers. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that section 2(1) of the Children and Young Persons Labour Act excludes from the scope of its application work or work of short duration of children performed in a family environment. It observes that the Government has not excluded this category of workers from the scope of application of the Convention. It recalls that, according to Article 4(1) of the Convention, consultations must be held with the organisations of employers and workers concerned to exclude from the application of the Convention limited categories of employment or work in respect of which special and substantial problems of application arise. Therefore, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on any consultation with workers’ or employers’ organisations held in this regard. If such consultations have not been held, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure the application of the Convention to all working children, including children engaged in family work.

Article 6. Vocational training and apprenticeships. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that, under section 6 of the Children and Young Persons Labour Act, children from the age of 14 years are allowed to perform light work within the framework of an internship, apprenticeship, or vocational training. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the conditions established by the competent authority for allowing children to perform work as part of internship, apprenticeship, or vocational training.

Article 7(1) and (3). Light work. In reply to the Committee’s request for information on the types of light work permitted to children under section 1(c) of the Children and Persons Labour Act, the Government indicates that in January 2023 a committee was set up to make a recommendation to the Ministry of Labour to specify the types of light work permitted to children. The Committee encourages the Government to continue taking measures to ensure that a list specifying types of light work activities permitted to children from the age of 14 years be adopted without delay.

Article 7(2) Employment or work of persons who are at least 15 years of age but have not yet completed compulsory education. The Committee previously noted that pursuant to section 8 of the Children and Young Persons Labour Act, children who have reached the age of 15 years can be exempted by the Labour Inspection from their obligation to attend school to perform non-industrial work of a light nature. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that no children aged 15 have been granted an exemption from attending school to perform work.

Article 8. Participation in artistic performances. The Committee previously noted that section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Labour Act provides that the Labour Inspectorate may issue guidelines for the participation of children in artistic performances. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that, after consultation with the organisations of employers and workers concerned, regulations are adopted establishing the conditions for granting individual permits for the participation of a child in artistic performances. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the number of children who undertake artistic performances in practice.

Labour inspection. With respect to this point, the Committee refers to its comments under the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).