Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Afghanistan (Ratification: 2010)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments. The Committee informs the Government that, if it has not supplied replies to the points raised by 1 September 2024, then it may proceed with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information at its disposal at its next session.

Repetition

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee previously noted the implementation of the various measures taken by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) to prevent child labour, including: the National Child Labour Strategy, 2012, followed by a National Action Plan to prevent child labour in brick kilns; a National Strategy for the Protection of Children at Risk; and a National Strategy for Working Street Children, 2011. However, the Committee noted, that children in Afghanistan are engaged in child labour and often in hazardous conditions, including in agriculture, carpet weaving, domestic work, street work, and brick making. Moreover, 27 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 years (2.7 million children) are engaged in child labour with a higher proportion of boys (65 per cent). Of this, 46 per cent are children between 5 and 11 years of age. At least half of all child labourers are exposed to hazardous working conditions such as dust, gas, fumes, extreme cold, heat or humidity. Moreover, 56 per cent of brick makers in Afghan kilns are children and the majority of these are 14 years of age and below.

The Committee notes that the Government’s report contains no new information in this regard. The Committee once again notes with concern that a significant number of children under the age of 14 years are engaged in child labour, of which at least half are working in hazardous conditions. The Committee therefore urges the Government to strengthen its efforts to ensure the progressive elimination of child labour in all economic activities, both in the formal and informal sectors, and requests that the Government provide information on the measures taken in this regard, as well as the results achieved.

Article 2(1). Scope of application. The Committee noted that according to sections 5 and 13 of the Labour Law, read in conjunction with the definition of a “worker”, the Law applies only to labour relations on a contractual basis and, therefore, that the provisions of the Labour Law did not appear to cover the employment of children outside a formal employment relationship, such as children working on their own account or in the informal economy.

Noting the absence of information provided in this regard in the Government’s report, the Committee recalls that the Convention applies to all sectors of economic activity and covers all forms of employment and work, whether or not there is a contractual employment relationship. The Committee therefore requests, once again, that the Government take the necessary measures to ensure that all children, including children working outside a formal employment relationship such as children working on their own account or in the informal economy, benefit from the protection laid down by the Convention. In this regard, the Committee encourages, once more, the Government to review the relevant provisions of the Labour Law in order to address these gaps as well as to take measures to strengthen the capacity and expand the reach of the labour inspectorate to the informal economy with a view to ensuring such protection in this sector.

Article 7(1) and (3). Minimum age for admission to light work and determination of light work. The Committee previously noted that section 13(2) of the Labour Law sets 15 years as the minimum age for employment in light work in industries and section 31 prescribes a weekly working period of 35 hours for young persons between 15 and 18 years of age. It observed that the minimum age for light work of 15 years is higher than the minimum age for admission to employment or work of 14 years, specified by Afghanistan.

Noting the absence of information provided in this regard by the Government, the Committee once again draws the Government’s attention to the fact that Article 7(1) of the Convention is a flexibility clause which provides that national laws or regulations may permit the employment or work of persons aged 13–15 years in light work activities which are not likely to be harmful to their health or development and not such as to prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in vocational orientation or training programmes approved by the competent authority, or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received.

The Committee notes the lack of information contained in the Government’s report and recalls once again that Article 7(4) permits member States who have specified a general minimum age for admission to employment or work of 14 years to substitute a minimum age for admission to light work of 12–14 years to that of the usual 13–15 years of age (see General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, 2012, paragraphs 389 and 391). In view of the fact that a high number of children under 14 years of age are engaged in child labour in the country, the Committee once again requests that the Government regulate light work activities for children between 12 and 14 years of age to ensure that children who, in practice, work under the minimum age are better protected. The Committee also requests that the Government take the necessary measures to determine light work activities that children of 12–14 years of age are permitted to undertake and to prescribe the number of hours and conditions of such work, pursuant to Article 7(3) of the Convention.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee expects that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.