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

Convenio sobre las peores formas de trabajo infantil, 1999 (núm. 182) - Barbados (Ratificación : 2000)

Article 3(a) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Sale and trafficking of children. The Committee notes with regret that the Government has not provided any information, in its report, on the effective implementation of the Trafficking in Persons Prevention Act 2016-9 with respect to the trafficking of children, nor on the application in practice of section 4 of the Act, including data on offences reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and penal sanctions imposed. The Committee once again urges the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the Trafficking in Persons Act 2016-9, particularly in relation to the trafficking of children. It also once again requests the Government to provide information on the application of section 4 of the Act in practice, including the number and nature of offences reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and penal sanctions imposed.

Articles 3(d) and 4(1). Determination of hazardous types of work. The Committee previously noted that, while section 8(1) of the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act prohibits the employment of young persons in any work that, by its nature or circumstances, is likely to cause injury to their health, safety or morals, the national legislation does not contain a determination of the types of hazardous work, as required under Article 4(1) of the Convention.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that section 73 of the Safety and Health at Work Act, 2007, sets out types of hazardous work prohibited for women and persons under 18 years of age. However, the Committee observes that section 73 of the Safety and Health at Work Act, which concerns certain processes related to lead manufacture, does not constitute a comprehensive determination of hazardous work prohibited for children under 18 years of age.

The Committee recalls once again that, under Article 4(1) of the Convention, the types of work referred to under Article 3(d) must be determined by national laws or regulations or by the competent authority, after consultation with the organizations of employers and workers concerned, taking into consideration relevant international standards, in particular Paragraph 3 of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation, 1999 (No. 190).

The Committee further takes note, from the information available on the ILO website, of the development of the new Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) of Barbados 2025-2030, Priority 3 of which provides for the improvement and modernization of national labour legislation through a holistic review with a focus on addressing gaps in relation to international labour standards. The Committee encourages the Government to ensure, in the context of the legislative review under the DWCP 2025-2030, that the determination of types of hazardous work prohibited for persons under the age of 18 is included in national legislation, after consultations with the organizations of employers and workers concerned. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on any progress made in this regard.

Application of the Convention in practice. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the Government’s indication that the main challenge facing Barbados is the scarcity of data on the worst forms of child labour, and that no instances of child labour had been detected through the labour inspection activities of the Labour Department. The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report does not provide information in this regard.

The Committee notes from the DWCP 2025–30 that, under Priority 1, efforts are envisaged to strengthen national capacities to generate, manage, and use labour market information, in light of existing gaps in the generation and dissemination of labour administration data, including those relating to labour inspection activities. This includes the development of more robust, sex-disaggregated indicators to support evidence-based policymaking and to track progress in reducing inequalities. Recalling once again the importance of statistical information in assessing the application of the Convention in practice, the Committee requests the Government to strengthen its efforts to ensure that statistical data on the nature, extent and trends of the worst forms of child labour in Barbados, are made available in the near future. The Committee also requests the Government to clarify whether measures undertaken within the framework of the DWCP 2025-2030 will include actions to strengthen the collection and analysis of data concerning the worst forms of child labour.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.