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

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Sao Tome and Principe (Ratification: 2005)

Article 7(2) of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Ministry of Women’s Rights has established a Children’s Rights Department, which offers programmes designed to support children in schools, at home and in their communities. It further notes, from the 2022 UNICEF Country Office Annual Report that the Government continues to implement several programmes to keep children in school and to prevent school dropouts, including the Parental Education Programme (PEP). This programme, which is implemented within the framework of anti-poverty programmes, aims to support parents and vulnerable families with children of school-going age by providing financial assistance, cash transfers and income generating activities.

The Committee takes note of the statistical data provided by the Government, which indicates that: (1) the number of enrolled children in the primary school has remained stable since 2019, at around 93 per cent; (2) the gross enrolment rate for lower secondary school was at 104 per cent for 2018–19 and 114 per cent for 2021–22; (3) the drop-out rate for lower secondary school dropped from 8.1 per cent in 2018–19 to 6.6 per cent in 2021–22; and (4) completion rates for the lower secondary level increased from 70 per cent in 2018–19 to 82.7 per cent in 2021–22.

The Committee notes that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in its concluding observations, welcomed the high priority given to the provision of education by the Government. However, the CEDAW also expressed concern: (1) that approximately 20 per cent of secondary school age girls do not attend school, in particular rural girls and girls from economically disadvantaged families; (2) the poor school infrastructure, including inadequate water and sanitation and lack of menstrual hygiene products and facilities; and (3) the high rates of school dropout, in particular among girls (CEDAW/C/STP/CO/1-5, paragraphs 36 and 38). The Committee further notes, from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in its concluding observations, the increase in enrolment in secondary education, the adoption of the education policy charter (2018–22) and the education policy (2012–22), aiming to improve the quality of education and teaching. However, the CRC also noted with concern: (1) disparities in enrolment, retention and completion rates, at all levels of education, depending on birth registration, gender, disability, region and family income; (2) the insufficient quality of education and number and capacity of teachers, which result in poor academic performance, in particular low literacy and numeracy skills, and insufficient use of technology; (3) poor school infrastructure and school feeding programme, inadequate class size and insufficient books and teaching materials, water and sanitation services and transport options, all of which constitute barriers to access to education; and (4) the lack of quality vocational training, in particular for children who drop out of school (CRC/C/STP/CO/5-6, 23 June 2023, paragraph 43). The Committee recalls that education is key in preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour and it therefore requests the Government to pursue its efforts to provide access to free basic and quality education for all children, particularly girls and children from rural areas, in primary and lower secondary education. It requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures taken in this regard and on the results achieved, including by continuing to provide statistical data on school enrolment and drop-out rates, disaggregated by age and sex.