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Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Saint Lucia (RATIFICATION: 2000)

The Committee notes with regret 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 initially made in 2013. The Committee also notes that the Government had been requested to provide information to the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference for failure to supply reports and information on the application of ratified Conventions.

Repetition

Article 3 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (c). Use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities. The Committee notes that sections 5, 6 and 7 of Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act No. 22 of 1988, prohibit the importation, exportation, production, possession and sale of controlled drugs. According to section 16 of Act No. 22 of 1988, a person who commits the offence of drug trafficking, which includes conspiracy to commit any of the above offences, attempting, inciting, abetting or procuring another to commit any of the above offences, shall be punished. The Committee observes that Act No. 22 of 1988 does not contain any specific provisions to prohibit the use, procuring or offering of a child for such an offence. Nevertheless, the Committee notes the statement made by the Government in its combined second, third and fourth periodic report of 20 June 2013 to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/LCA/2-4, paragraph 178) (periodic report of 2013 to the CRC) that the country remains concerned at the number of children involved in drug trafficking in and outside of schools. The Committee accordingly urges the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the use, procuring or offering of a child under18 years of age for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, is prohibited.

Article 5. Monitoring mechanisms and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes the Government’s information that the Department of Labour carries out inspections in workplaces while the Department of Human Services and the police are mainly responsible for monitoring and administering the legislation regarding the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of persons. The Committee notes the Government’s information that currently no documented statistics are available concerning the number and nature of violations involving children and young persons in the worst forms of child labour. The Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that statistics on the incidence of the worst forms of child labour, including the trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children, are made available. It also requests the Government to indicate the number and nature of infringements reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penalties imposed for violations related to the worst forms of child labour.

Article 6. Programmes of action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Trafficking. The Committee notes that, according to section 33(1) of the Counter-Trafficking Act, the Minister shall establish an inter-agency task force to develop and implement a National Plan for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to establish the national task force for prevention of trafficking in persons and to develop a National Plan for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons pursuant to section 33(1) of the Counter-Trafficking Act.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (b). Direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour and for their rehabilitation and social integration. Commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Committee previously noted that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in its concluding observations of 2 June 2006 (CEDAW/C/LCA/CO/6), had expressed concern at the lack of information regarding the extent of trafficking in women and girls and the causes and extent of prostitution in the country, in particular the scale of this phenomenon in the tourism industry. It also noted the concerns expressed by CEDAW about the exploitation of prostitution and the absence of efforts to combat this phenomenon and recommended the State party to enhance collaboration with countries in the region to prevent and combat trafficking in women (paragraphs 19 and 20).

The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s periodic report of 2013 to the CRC, there are no plans of action to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children due to the absence of actual data and scarce human and financial resources. The Committee, therefore, once again requests the Government to take the necessary measures to assess the number of children engaged in commercial sexual exploitation in order for it to be able to adopt appropriate measures thereafter to remove children from this worst form of child labour and to provide for their rehabilitation and social integration. It requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken in this regard.