Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2025, publiée 114ème session CIT (2026)

Convention (n° 182) sur les pires formes de travail des enfants, 1999 - Angola (Ratification: 2001)

Articles 3(a) and 7(2)(b) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour and effective and time-bound measures. Removing children from the worst forms of child labour and ensuring their rehabilitation and social integration. Child victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. In its previous comments, the Committee noted: (1) the prevalence of cases of trafficking in children from and into neighbouring countries for commercial sexual exploitation (including in the travel and tourism sectors and in particular of girls) and for forced labour in diamond-mining districts, and of cases of boys trafficked for forced labour, in particular cattle herding; (2) that the National Children’s Institute (INAC) and the National Children’s Council (CNAC) were the agencies responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Government’s policies at the national level in the area of investigations relating to children and their social protection; and (3) that the Interministerial Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons was created in 2014 and that it is the main institution responsible for combating trafficking in persons.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that: (1) it adopted and is implementing the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, approved through Presidential Decree No. 31 of 14 February 2020; (2) it undertook training sessions for frontline officials regarding the National Referral Mechanism for the Protection and Assistance of Trafficking Victims in Angola; (3) it harmonized case identification and referral procedures through Executive Decree No. 179 of 1 April 2022; (4) it continues to cooperate with the United Nations system and foreign governments on cases of cross-border trafficking; and (5) efforts were made to accelerate the sentencing of traffickers and increase and strengthen victim protection services (including shelters). While the Committee takes note of the information provided, it notes that the Government does not provide information on the results achieved.

With regard to the Committee’s previous request for information on cases of trafficking involving child victims, the Government indicates that the Interministerial Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons has a database for following up on 142 cases (of which 22 per cent have already been tried), and that the number of cases under investigation has increased. However, the Committee notes that the Government does not specify if the 142 cases relate specifically to the trafficking of children, nor does it provide information on the outcomes of the 22 per cent of cases which have already been tried. While taking due note of certain measures taken by the Government, the Committee requests the Government to strengthen its efforts, to prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, to identify and remove child victims from the worst forms of child labour and to ensure their rehabilitation and social integration. In this regard, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide detailed information on:

• the specific measures taken in this regard, including within the framework of the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, and the results achieved in terms of the number of children who have been removed from this worst form of child labour and rehabilitated;
• the measures taken by the INAC, the CNAC and the Interministerial Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons to identify, remove and provide appropriate services and assistance to child victims;
• the number of prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions applied for offences related to the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years for sexual or labour exploitation. It also requests the Government to provide information on the findings of the cases which have already been tried concerning the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age, as well as any criminal penalties applied.

Article 7(2)(a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it has been carrying out activities in the context of the National Education Policy and the National Plan for the Development of Education “Educate Angola 2030”, including: (1) the provision of trainings to teachers working in preschool, primary, general secondary and technical secondary education; (2) the construction of 670 schools across the country; and (3) the placement of 444,245 new students in the education system across the country.

Further, from the Government’s report to the Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Committee notes that: (1) between 2018 and 2023, 772 schools were built and 313 were rehabilitated, for a total of 9,464 classrooms, of which 7,171 were newly built and 2,293 were rehabilitated; (2) the Government is implementing programmes such as “United for Early Childhood”, “Empowerment of Adolescents and Learning for All” and a scholarship programme designed to encourage the completion of lower secondary education, mainly among girls, through the award of an annual scholarship that will benefit 900,000 students in the coming years, including 630,000 girls; (3) to reduce drop-out rates, a school lunch programme is being carried out and currently benefits 27.3 per cent of the pupils enrolled in primary education; (4) the number of out-of-school children has been reduced by 40 per cent; and (5) the number of teachers has increased considerably in recent years due to the holding of public competitive examinations and currently stands at 220,000 (A/HRC/WG.6/48/AGO/1, 30 October 2024, paras 127-130).

The Committee also notes, from the Government’s report to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), that: (1) the number of students enrolled in school increased from 8,337,224 in 2015 (55.6 per cent of whom were girls) to more than 10,000,000 in 2022; (2) to prevent girls from being excluded from the education system, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with parents and education officials, is implementing a strategy to work with the provincial education directorates to reactivate and strengthen the gender and human rights offices; (3) efforts are under way to implement a project for girls’ empowerment and learning for all to provide 600,000 scholarships to vulnerable girls and strengthen the education system; and (4) an education project for the San communities is being implemented in the provinces of Huila and Cuando Cubango and has already provided support to 3,000 children in the school system (E/C.12/AGO/6, 8 June 2023, paras 240, 243, 246 and 248).

Further, the Committee notes, from the 2023 Country Office Annual Report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that: (1) the shortage of qualified teachers, especially in rural areas (where the pupil-teacher ratio is as high as 54:1), is partly responsible for the challenges in increasing access to education and enhancing learning outcomes; (2) in 2023, the Government approved the Long-Term Strategy for 2050, which identifies education as a key area for investment, with a focus on pre-primary and primary education; (3) the allocation for education remains below the recommended international benchmarks, with a bias towards secondary education; and (4) the transition for girls from primary to secondary education remains problematic in rural areas, with barriers to this transition including child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender norms that prioritize boys’ learning. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the Government and requests it to pursue its efforts to improve the functioning of the education system and to facilitate access to free, quality basic education, to all children, paying particular attention to girls and children living in rural areas. The Committee requests the Government to: (i) continue to provide information on the measures taken in this regard and the results achieved; and (ii) provide updated statistical data on the school enrolment, completion and drop-out rates at the primary and lower-secondary education levels, disaggregated by age and sex to the extent possible.

Clause (d). Children at special risk. HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs). The Committee notes the Government’s general indication that sections 80(3) and 80(4) of the Constitution establish that the State must provide special protections to orphaned children, children with disabilities, abandoned children and children who are in any way deprived of a normal family environment. However, it notes that, once again the Government’s report does not contain any information on the specific measures taken to assist orphaned children. It further notes that according to the UNAIDS estimates for 2023, the number of children under 18 years who have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS in Angola has continued to increase, from approximately 260,000 children in 2020 to 300,000 in 2023. The Committee recalls that children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable children are at an increased risk of being engaged in the worst forms of child labour, and it therefore once again strongly urges the Government to take immediate and effective measures to ensure that HIV/AIDS orphans and OVCs are protected from the worst forms of child labour. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken in this respect and on the results achieved, including the number of orphans who have been reached through such initiatives.

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