CMNT_TITLE

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Syrian Arab Republic (RATIFICATION: 2003)

Article 3 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (a). All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery. Sale and trafficking of children. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes that section 4 of Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2010 defines trafficking in persons as transporting, kidnapping, sheltering, deporting or hosting persons in order to be employed or used for illicit activities, including the use of a child for prostitution and production of pornography (section 5) in return for material or moral compensation. It also notes that, according to section 7 of Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2010, penalties for the offences related to trafficking in persons comprises imprisonment for a minimum of seven years and fines of 1–3 million Syrian pounds (SYP) (US$1 is approximately equal to SYP189) and confiscation of property, while section 8 provides for harsher penalties if the victim is a child (defined under section 1(3) of Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2010 as a person under the age of 18 years).

Article 5. Monitoring mechanisms. Sale and trafficking of children. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s information that the Department of Combating Trafficking in Persons established pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2010 has carried out several inspection campaigns to monitor trafficking in persons, in particular trafficking in children. According to the statistical data provided by the Government, a total of 21 cases relating to trafficking in children were reported from 2010 to 2014. The Committee notes, however, that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in its concluding observations of July 2014, expressed concern that trafficking in women and girls has increased during the conflict and that they are at high risk of trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation (CEDAW/C/SYR/CO/2, paragraph 33). While acknowledging the difficult situation prevailing in the country, the Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to prevent the sale and trafficking of children under 18 years of age for sexual exploitation and to provide information on the measures taken in this regard. The Committee also requests the Government to continue providing information on the number of cases concerning the sale of children and child trafficking that have been reported by the Department of Combating Trafficking in Persons, as well as on the investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sanctions applied relating to this worst form of child labour.