Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Egypt (Ratification: 2002)

Article 6 of the Convention. Programmes of action and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee takes note, from the 2024 ACCEL Africa Egypt fact sheet, of the National Survey for Child Labour 2023 that was undertaken by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), that 3.7 million children under the age of 18 are engaged in hazardous forms of work in Egypt. The Committee notes that the Government has been implementing measures to combat child labour and its worst forms in the country through the National Action Plan to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labour and Supporting Family 2018–2025 (NAP-WFCL). In addition, the Committee observes that projects are being implemented with ILO collaboration, such as: (1) the ETEL “Combating the worst forms of child labour through the implementation of the National Action Plan” project 2023–2025, aiming to strengthen the existing Tripartite National Steering Committee (NSC) responsible for implementing the NAP and advancing initiatives, proposals, and recommendations to enhance child protection from the worst forms of child labour; (2) the project to “Accelerate the elimination of child labour, improving working conditions and empowering families in jasmine supply chain in Egypt” 2024–2026, aiming to reduce and eliminate child labour in jasmine picking by implementing child protection measures and improving working conditions within the jasmine supply chain in Egypt; and (3) the project on “Economic and Social Empowerment for Families through Environmentally Friendly and Gender-Sensitive Income-Generating Activities to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labour among Girls and Boys”, aiming to combat the worst forms of child labour in rural Egypt. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the specific measures adopted and the results achieved through the implementation of the NAP-WFCL as well as other projects implemented to combat the worst forms of child labour in Egypt.

Article 7(2) of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clauses (a) and (e). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour and special situation of girls. Access to free basic education. The Committee notes the Government’s information, in its report, that it continues to take measures to raise enrolment rates, reduce drop-out rates and narrow the educational gap between urban and rural children. The Government indicates that it does so mainly through social protection systems that support poor families to provide means for a decent living (such as the “Takaful” and “Karama” programmes), through vocational training centres affiliated to the Ministry of Solidarity (now 71 centres), and through support services provided to children by centres that combat child labour. The Government also provides information regarding the interventions carried out by various centres for combating child labour across the country, which include such measures as the payment of tuition fees, awareness-raising seminars and events, and improving children’s reading and writing skills. The Government further provides information on Egypt’s various programmes supporting the reform of vocational education and training. These include the Vocational Project 2030, aiming to develop a system of training and vocational rehabilitation; a comprehensive strategy formulated for the development of vocational training centres for young persons in accordance with the needs of the labour market; and career guidance programmes aiming to guide young persons to occupations available in the labour market. In 2023–24, 3,096 children aged 14 to 18 have benefited from these programmes and received training in undertakings. Finally, the Committee notes, from the national report submitted by Egypt to the Human Rights Council of 2024 (A/HRC/WG.6/48/EGY/1), that the strategic plan of the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (2024–2029) was adopted to ensure access to education for all without discrimination and improve quality of education.

The Committee observes the statistics available in a 2024 UNICEF Situation Analysis on children and adolescents in Egypt, according to which results from a 2021 survey indicate a slight increase in net attendance rate (NAR) compared to 2014, with primary NAR being almost universal (93 per cent of children aged 6–11). Eighty-three per cent of preparatory age students are attending preparatory education. The drop-out rates for primary education between the academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 were 0.29 per cent and 0.66 per cent for preparatory education. In addition, in 2022, 85 per cent of refugee children were enrolled in primary education and 79 per cent were enrolled in secondary education. However, the drop-out rate among refugee children for secondary education was at 20 per cent.

Taking due note of the measures taken by the Government, the Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to improve the functioning of the education and vocational training systems so as to prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour, while taking into account the particular situation of girls. It requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures taken in this regard and to provide concrete information on the results achieved, disaggregated by age and sex.