Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2025, Publicación: 114ª reunión CIT (2026)

Convenio sobre las peores formas de trabajo infantil, 1999 (núm. 182) - Fiji (Ratificación : 2002)

Article 5 of the Convention. Monitoring mechanisms. The Committee notes the absence of information in the Government’s report concerning the activities of the Child Labour Unit (CLU) in relation to child labour monitoring, training and investigations.

The Committee notes that the Labour Standards Department of the Ministry of Employment takes measures to combat child labour through labour inspections and the Joint Child Labour Taskforce, which operates in coordination with other government agencies, including the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children and Poverty Alleviation, and the Fiji Police Force.

The Committee notes that child labour cases are identified through public or individual complaints and raids carried out by the Joint Child Labour Taskforce, including night patrols in areas near nightclubs, cinemas, and university entrances, where children are reportedly found selling foodstuffs.

The Committee also notes that labour inspections have identified sectors where children are at risk of involvement in child labour and its worst forms, including car wash services, mechanical and repair garages, sugarcane, taro and tobacco farming, horse racing, and the film industry. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the activities of the Child Labour Unit (CLU) in identifying and combating the worst forms of child labour. It also requests once again the Government to continue providing updated information on the number and nature of violations detected by the Joint Child Labour Taskforce and labour inspections.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government based on the Strategic Development Plan 2023–2026 of the Ministry of Education and the 2023 Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS). The Government indicates that between 2013 and 2022, the net enrolment rate was 100 per cent for primary education and over 80 per cent for secondary education. The retention rate for primary education has remained above 92 per cent since 2014, while retention in secondary education has fluctuated, showing an upward trend since 2022.

The Committee notes from the Strategic Development Plan that there is no confirmed percentage for school dropouts in Fiji, and that this remains a significant concern. In this regard, it notes the Government’s collaborative strategies with non-profit organizations and international partners, to address this issue through initiatives such as the Free Education Grant, Transport Assistance, Free Textbooks and Back to School assistance.

The Committee further notes from the Government’s report to the UN Human Rights Council pursuant to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of 20–31 January 2025 that in September 2023, the Fiji National Education Summit resulted in the adoption of the 2023 Denarau Declaration as well as the strategic plan (2023–2026) to promote inclusive and accessible education in the country (A/HRC/WG.4/48/FJI/1, para. 107). The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to ensure access to free basic education to all children, in particular those from socially and economically disadvantaged families. It requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the Strategic Development Plan 2023–2026 and the 2023 Denarau Declaration on increasing school enrolment rates and reducing school drop-out rates. It also requests the Government to continue to provide updated statistical data on school enrolment and drop-out rates.