2004 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Grenada

Incidence and Nature of Child Labor

Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 in Grenada are unavailable.^[1765] It has been reported that some children work informally in the agricultural sector.^[1766] According to the World Bank, children are becoming involved in commercial sexual exploitation in order to pay for basic needs, such as school fees and food.^[1767]

Education is compulsory in Grenada until the age of 16.^[1768] In 2000, the gross primary enrollment rate was 94.6 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 84.2 percent.^[1769] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. Recent primary school attendance rates are not available for Grenada. Despite high enrollment rates, factors such as poverty, poor school facilities, and the periodic need to help with family farm harvests have resulted in a 7 percent absenteeism rate among primary school children.^[1770] The government cites high level of emigration of parents, neglect and juvenile crime as the leading causes of children dropping out of school.^[1771]

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act of 1999 sets the minimum age for employment in Grenada at 16 years, with the exception of holiday employment.^[1772] A person convicted of violating the Act can be subject to a fine of up to USD 3752.35, up to 3 years imprisonment, or both.^[1773] The Constitution prohibits forced labor and slavery.^[1774] No laws specifically address trafficking in persons, but there were no reports that children were trafficked to, from, within, or through the country.^[1775] The Ministry of Labor enforces child labor laws in the formal sector through periodic checks; however, enforcement in the informal sector is not stringent, according to the U.S. Department of State.^[1776]

The Child Protection Act of 1998 designates the Child Welfare Authority as responsible for providing protection to children, including in cases of neglect or sexual exploitation.^[1777]

Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

The Government of Grenada has also prepared its first comprehensive educational development plan, entitled "Strategic Plan for Educational Enhancement and Development (SPEED)," to be implemented from 2002-2010. The Plan includes providing universal access to education; improving the quality of education; providing learners with relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills; establishing and strengthening relationships with partners in education; improving the effectiveness of management and administration of education at ministry and school levels; and ensuring consistent government financing of education, diversifying the funding sources and making certain that resources are used efficiently.^[1778]

The Government of Grenada secured a loan in 2003 from the Caribbean Development Bank to finance the rehabilitation of 13 primary schools, rebuilding of one school, and training of Ministry staff in curriculum development.^[1779] The government also received funding from the Caribbean Development Bank to provide loans to students in vocational, technical and professional training programs. At risk and underprivileged students will also obtain educational loans as part of this program.^[1780]

The World Bank approved funding for the second phase of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Education Development Program in 2003. This project will rehabilitate schools, expand access to schools by reallocating space, provide additional learning resources, and train teachers. It will support students by developing extra-curricular activities and train administrators in the management of the school system.^[1781]

In 2004, the World Bank, in partnership with CARICOM and other international donor organizations, launched a regional HIV/AIDS prevention project in Grenada. This project contains a component focused on prevention of HIV transmission among young people. It will provide support to orphans, increase access to HIV/AIDS prevention and services for out of school youth, integrate HIV/AIDS information into reproductive health programs, and promote peer counseling for youth, parents and teachers. The first phase of this project is expected to end in 2007.^[1782]

As part of The World Bank regional HIV/AIDS initiative, the Government of Grenada secured an additional loan for USD 6.04 million to finance a national HIV/AIDS project. This project will include a large educational component, designed to reach every school and every child in Grenada with awareness activities. The project will fund training activities for peer counselors and develop family education materials to reach out of school youth.^[1783]

[1765] LABORSTAT, 1A – Total and economically active population, by age group (Thousands) [Database], Geneva, 2004; available from http://laborsta.ilo.org.

[1766] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2003: Grenada, Washington, D.C., February 25, 2004, Section 6d; available from www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27898.htm.

[1767] The World Bank, Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed IDA Grant in the Amount of SDR 6.1 Million Equivalent to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for The Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS Project, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., March 4, 2004; available from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/03/0…. See also The Protection Project, Grenada, Washington, D.C., March, 2002; available from http://209.190.246.239/ver2/cr/Grenada.pdf. It is reported that girls are three times as likely as boys to be infected with the HIV virus. The World Bank, Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Loan/Credit in the Amount of US$6.04 Million to Grenada for a HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., July 1, 2002; available from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2002/07/3….

[1768] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2003: Grenada, Section 5.

[1769] World Bank, World Development Indicators 2004 [CD-ROM], Washington, D.C., 2004.

[1770] U.S. Embassy-Bridgetown, unclassified telegram no. 1126, June 23, 2000.

[1771] Committee on the Rights of the Child, Summary Record of the 608th Meeting, CRC/C/SR.608, Geneva, March 9, 2000; available from http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/e3ba3….

[1772] Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, 1999, Part III, Article 32. as cited in Adrian Hayes, facsimile communication to USDOL official, May 12, 2001.

[1773] Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, 1999, Article 35

[1774] Grenada Constitution Order 1973, No. 2155, (February 7, 1974), Chapter 1, Section 4(1-2) [cited September 15, 2003]; available from http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Constitutions/Grenada/gren73eng.html.

[1775] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2003: Grenada, Section 6f.

[1776] Ibid., Section 6d.

[1777] Child Protection Act, (1998); available from http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex_browse.details?p_lang=en&p_country….

[1778] Government of Grenada, Strategic Plan for Educational Enhancement 2002-2010, Ministry of Education, January 2002, 21-40.

[1779] Caribbean Development Bank, Economic Reconstruction Programme – Rehabilitation of Primary Schools in Grenada, Caribbean Development Bank, March 6, 2003; available from www.caribank.org.

[1780] Caribbean Development Bank, Funding for Student Loans in Grenada, Caribbean Development Bank, October 22, 2002; available from http://www.caribank.org.

[1781] The World Bank, Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Loan in the Amount of US$4.0 Million and a Proposed Credit in the Amount of SDR 2.9 Million to the Government of Grenada for the (OECS) Education Development Project, 26042, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., June 3, 2003; available from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2003/06/1….

[1782] The World Bank, Caribbean HIV/AIDS I-Barbados, previously online, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., August 17, 2004; available from http://www.wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2001/08/0… [hard copy available].

[1783] The World Bank, Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Loan/Credit in the Amount of US$6.04 Million to Grenada for a HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project.