2006 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Papua New Guinea
- Author: Bureau of International Labor Affairs
- Document source:
-
Date:
31 August 2007
| Selected Statistics and Indicators on Child Labor | |
|---|---|
| Percent of children 5-14 estimated as working: | Unavailable |
| Minimum age of work: | 163326 |
| Age to which education is compulsory: | Not compulsory3327 |
| Free public education: | No3328 |
| Gross primary enrollment rate in 2003: | 75%3329 |
| Net primary enrollment rate: | Unavailable |
| Percent of children 5-14 attending school: | Unavailable |
| As of 2001, percent of primary school entrants likely to reach grade 5: | 69%3330 |
| Ratified Convention 138: | 6/02/20003331 |
| Ratified Convention 182: | 6/02/20003332 |
| ILO-IPEC participating country: | No |
Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
Children work in the commercial agriculture sector, including on tea and coffee farms.3333 Children are also seen selling food items on the streets of urban areas3334 and working as domestic servants3335 . Children are involved in commercial sexual exploitation, typically working in bars or nightclubs.3336
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
Papua New Guinean law sets the minimum age for employment at 16 years, and protects children under 18 years from working in hazardous conditions.3337 Children 11 to 18 may work in family businesses with parental permission, medical clearance, and a work permit from the labor office.3338 Work performed by children between 11 and 16 years must not interfere with school attendance.3339 Work by children under 11 years is prohibited.3340 Penalties for child labor violations range from a fine to 2 years of imprisonment.3341
The law prohibits forced labor, including by children.3342 Procuring girls under 18 years for sexual relations or obtaining financial gain from the prostitution of minors is also prohibited by law.3343 There is no compulsory military service in Papua New Guinea, and the minimum age for voluntary military service is 16.3344
The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Department of Police are responsible for implementing and enforcing child labor laws; however, the U.S. Department of State reports that enforcement by those departments has been poor and that no inspectors specifically address child labor.3345
Current Government Efforts to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Papua New Guinea is working with the Papua New Guinea Children's Foundation and People Against Child Exploitation to implement the National Action Plan against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children 2006-2011.3346
UNICEF, with the support of the government, is also implementing a child protection program that includes advocacy for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor.3347
3326 Government of Papua New Guinea, Report to ILO Committee of Experts on Convention 182, September 2005.
3327 U.S. Department of State, "Papua New Guinea." In Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2006, Washington, DC, March 7, 2007.
3328 U.S. Department of State, "Papua New Guinea," in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2006, Washington, DC, March 6, 2007.
3329 UCW analysis of, ILO SIMPOC, UNICEF MICS, and World Bank surveys, Child Economic Activity and School Attendance Rates, March 1 2007.
3330 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, School Life Expectancy, % of Repeaters, Survival Rates; accessed December 2005; available from http://stats.uis.unesco.org/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=55.
3331 ILO, Ratifications by Country, [accessed November 7, 2006; available from http://www.ilo.org/iloex/cgilex/ratifce.pl?PapuaNewGuinea.
3332 Ibid.
3333 Department of Community Development official, Interview with USDOL consultant, June 20, 2006. See also Department of Labor and Industrial Relations officials, Interview with USDOL consultant, June 26 2006.
3334 Department of Community Development official, Interview, June 20, 2006.
3335 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Consideration of Reports Submitted By States Parties Under Article 44 of the Convention, Concluding Observations: Papua New Guinea, CRC/C/15/Add.229, February 26, 2004, para. 57. See also U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2006: Papua New Guinea.", U.S. Department of State, "Papua New Guinea," in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2005, Washington, DC, March 8, 2006, Section 5.
3336 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding Observations, February 26, 2004, para. 59. See also U.S. Department of State, "Country Reports – 2006: Papua New Guinea."
3337 Government of Papua New Guinea, Report to ILO Committee of Experts, September 2005, Article 3(d). Article 3(d).
3338 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2006: Papua New Guinea.
3339 U. S. Embassy – Port Moresby, reporting, September 14, 2005.
3340 Department of Labor and Industrial Relations officials, Interview, June 26, 2006.
3341 U. S. Embassy – Port Moresby, reporting December 15, 2006.
3342 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2006: Papua New Guinea."
3343 HELP Resources Inc. with UNICEF, A Situational Analysis of Child Sexual Abuse and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Papua New Guinea, January 2005, 98.
3344 Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, "Papua New Guinea," in Child Soliders Global Report 2004. London, 2004; available from http://www.child-soldiers.org/cs/childsoldiers.nsf/Report/Global%20Repo…? OpenDocument.
3345 U. S. Embassy – Port Moresby, reporting, September 14, 2005.
3346 PACE PNG Children's Foundation Inc., and UNICEF, The National Action Plan Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Papua New Guinea (July 2006-June 2011), 2006, 5.
3347 UNICEF, Master Plan of Operations: Programme of Cooperation Between Government of Papua New Guinea and UNICEF, Attachment A, 1-2.
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