CMNT_TITLE

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Kyrgyzstan (RATIFICATION: 2004)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 5 of the Convention. Monitoring mechanisms. The Committee previously noted that the Government was developing a child labour monitoring framework, and it requested information on the impact of this framework, once finalized.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement that during the pilot stage of the Child Labour Monitoring System (CLMS), monitoring systems were established in three districts. Eight local action committees were set up at the district level to coordinate work with regard to the introduction of the CLMS model, bringing together representatives from the Family and Child Protection Department, the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate, family medical centres and the district education services, as well as trade unions, employers’ organizations and non-governmental organizations. The Government states that these local committees meet twice a month to discuss identified cases of child labourers and children at-risk, as well as the referral of such children to the appropriate educational, social or other services. The Government further states that from October to December 2011, six monitoring groups in the three pilot districts conducted 15 monitoring visits to various locations, such as markets and fields, where child labour is prevalent. These visits resulted in the identification of 150 children involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the worst forms of child labour, who were subsequently offered educational and other services, as appropriate. The Committee encourages the Government to pursue its efforts, through the CLMS, to combat the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures taken in this regard, particularly regarding the establishment of CLMS in additional districts in the country, as well as on the results achieved.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee previously noted the information from UNESCO that there had been a decrease in the primary-level net enrolment rate between 1999 and 2005. However, the Committee also noted that the country was moving towards the goal of universal primary enrolment.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it undertook a census in the 2011–12 school year to identify children who were not attending school. The Government indicates that 1,869 children were identified, and that measures were taken to ensure their return. The Committee also notes the information in the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report of 2012 that in 2010 there was approximately 18,000 out-of-school children of primary school age, which represents a significant drop from the 34,000 out-of-school children in 1999. However, the Committee also notes the information from ILO–IPEC that a 2012 study on school non-attendance in the southern part of the country indicated that over one third of the interviewed school age children did not attend school, or regularly missed classes, and that child labour was among the main reasons for school non-attendance. Therefore, considering that education contributes to preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee encourages the Government to pursue its efforts to facilitate educational access to children as well as to ensure their attendance in school. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken in this regard, and to provide statistical information on the results obtained, particularly with regard to increasing attendance rates and reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Clause (d). Identifying and reaching out to children at special risk. Poor families. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the Ministry of Social Development funded 38 projects on the theme of preventing parental deprivation and the exploitation of child labour, 14 of which concerned child labour. The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that through the project to establish child labour free zones, implemented by the Trade Unions of Education and Science Workers of Kyrgyzstan (TUESWK), 50 families with children who are compelled by difficult social and economic circumstances to work have been provided with support. The Government indicates that through the project, 40 working children have been identified, as well as an additional 60 children at risk for engagement in the worst forms of child labour. The Committee encourages the Government to pursue its efforts to prevent children from poor socio-economic families from being engaged in the worst forms of child labour, and to continue to provide information on measures taken in this regard.

Street children. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the number of street children forced into prostitution, begging and casual work was on the rise. It noted the information from the United Nations Development Programme that there was approximately 15–20,000 street and working children in the country, including 2,000 such children in Bishkek City. The Committee further noted that the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its concluding observations, expressed concern about the difficult situation of certain groups of children in the country, particularly street children and working children, as they are particularly vulnerable to all forms of exploitation (2 February 2007, CRC/C/OPSC/KGZ/CO/1, paragraph 27). Noting an absence of information on this point in the Government’s report, the Committee once again requests the Government to strengthen its efforts to protect street children from the worst forms of child labour, and to take the necessary measures to provide for their removal, rehabilitation and social integration. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures taken in this regard, as well as the results obtained, in its next report.

Application of the Convention in practice. Child Labour Survey. The Committee previously noted that a Child Labour Survey had been undertaken in the country, and it requested information from this report, once available.

The Committee notes the statement in the Government’s report that the Child Labour Survey indicated that out of 672,000 working children, 592,000 were performing work that was inappropriate for their age and development. In this regard, the Government states that the level of child labour in Kyrgyzstan is quite high. The Government also states that boys accounted for 57.9 per cent of children labourers in the country. The Committee requests the Government to strengthen its efforts to combat and eliminate the worst forms of child labour, and to continue to provide information on the measures taken in this regard. It also requests the Government to continue to provide any available statistical information on the prevalence of the worst forms of child labour in the country. To the extent possible, such information should be disaggregated by sex and by age.