2004 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Turks and Caicos Islands (territory of the United Kingdom)

There is limited information regarding the extent and nature of child labor and the quality and provision of education in non-independent countries and territories eligible for GSP, AGOA, and CBTPA benefits. These countries and territories generally are not eligible to become members of the ILO, so ILO Conventions 138 and 182 do not apply to any of them.[4357] Territories are subject to laws of the sovereign country.

Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 in the Turks and Caicos Islands are unavailable. Information is also unavailable on the incidence and nature of child labor. Nine years of basic education is provided by the government to children between the ages of 6 and 14.[4413] In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 101 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 88 percent.[4414] 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 statistics are not available for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Procurement of any girl under the age of 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse is illegal and punishable with imprisonment for two years.[4415]


[4357] ILO official, electronic communication to USDOL official, January 31, 2002. Most of the areas covered in this summary report are considered by the ILO to be non-metropolitan territories and therefore, are ineligible to become members of the ILO. An ILO member can submit a declaration to the ILO requesting that these conventions apply to their non-metropolitan territories. See Constitution; available from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/about/iloconst.htm.

[4413] UNESCO, Education for All 2000 Assessment: Country Reports – Turks and Caicos Islands, prepared by Women's Affairs, September, 1999, [cited May 27, 2004]; available from http://www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/turks_caicos/contents.html.

[4414] UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Global Education Digest 2004. For an explanation of gross primary enrollment and/or attendance rates that are greater than 100 percent, please see the definitions of gross primary enrollment rate and gross primary attendance rate in the glossary of this report.

[4415] The Protection Project, Turks/Caicos Island, [online] [cited May 27, 2004]; available from http://www.protectionproject.org/main1.htm.

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