Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Angola (Ratification: 1976)

1. Article 2, paragraph 2(d), of the Convention. Powers of requisition. For many years the Committee has been drawing the Government’s attention to the need to repeal or amend the provisions of Decree No. 12/75 of 15 October 1975 allowing the National Emergency Industrial Committee to call up technicians of public or private undertakings considered necessary for the solution of problems, and the provisions of Decree No. 44/83 allowing it to call up workers whose occupation meets the training needs of the special youth brigades. In previous reports, the Government indicated that these texts had fallen out of use and had been tacitly repealed following the adoption of the Act amending the Constitution (Act No. 23/92 of 16 September 1992) and the General Labour Act (Act No. 2/00 of 11 February 2000) in that they are contrary to the new legislation. The Committee trusts that when legislation is next amended the Government will take the necessary measures to expressly repeal these decrees in order to avoid any ambiguity and ensure that current legislation reflects practice.

2. Article 2, paragraph 2(c). Civic service of general interest. By virtue of section 4 of the General Labour Act (Act No. 2/00), forced or compulsory labour is prohibited. Work or services exercised by virtue of military laws and civic service of general interest are not deemed to be forced labour. The Committee requested the Government to supply copies of the legislative provisions relating to this service. The Committee notes that the Government’s latest report provides no information on the matter but has noted that, by virtue of section 10 of the General Act on Military Service (Act No. 1/93 of 26 March 1993) and section 7 of the National Defence and Armed Forces Act (Act No. 2/93 of 26 March 1993), conscientious objectors may carry out their compulsory military service in the form of a civic service which has to be covered by a regulation. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether the civic service of general interest mentioned in section 4 of the General Labour Act refers to the civic service which is an alternative to military service. It requests the Government once again to communicate copies of the legislative texts regulating the civic service of general interest.

3. Trafficking in persons. The Committee notes that the Government has provided no reply to the information requested by the Committee in its general observation of 2001 regarding measures taken by governments to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons. The Committee therefore requests the Government to refer to this general observation and provide detailed information regarding the measures taken to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, the relevant provisions in legislation and any difficulties encountered by the authorities in this field.

4. The Committee notes that, in the report supplied in 2004 on the application of the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), the Government indicated that a working group coordinated by the Ministry of Justice had been set up to revise penal legislation. The Committee requests the Government to supply information on the work conducted by this group as well as any legislation adopted. Meanwhile, the Committee requests the Government to supply copies of the current Penal Code and Penal Procedure Code.