Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Burkina Faso (Ratification: 2001)

Article 6 of the Convention. Plan of action and application of the Convention in practice. 1. National strategy to combat the worst forms of child labour. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes with interest the adoption of the National Strategy to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labour 2019-23 (SN-PFTE). The Government indicates in its report that a national coordinating committee has been put in place to ensure the effective implementation of the SM-PFTE, by Order No. 2020-049/MPFTPS/SG/DGPS/DLTE of 22 July 2020.

The Committee notes the detailed information in the Government’s report regarding implementation of the SN-PFTE during 2019. Among other matters, the Government gives details of access and maintenance of children in the education system or in occupational training, strengthening the financial and material resources of vulnerable households and reinforcing the technical skills of households, for example by providing training in agricultural production techniques. The Government also indicates that 437 workplaces presenting a high risk of the worst forms of child labour were monitored and the capacities of the services responsible for enforcing the legislation have been strengthened: a regional brigade for the protection of children (BRPE) has been built up and five others have been equipped, and 18 children’s court judges have been appointed. The Government also indicates that a new national survey on child labour is currently in progress, with the support of the ILO. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the specific measures taken within the framework of the SN-PFTE to combat the worst forms of child labour and on the results obtained. It also requests the Government to provide information on the nature, extent and trends of the worst forms of child labour, and on the number of children covered by the measures giving effect to the Convention, after completion of the national survey on child labour.

2. Elimination of child labour in the cotton, textile and garment value chains (CLEAR COTTON project). The Committee notes that the CLEAR COTTON project is being implemented by the ILO and FAO in four countries, including Burkina Faso, from March 2018 to February 2022. This project supports the elimination of child labour in all its forms and in particular the worst forms, and of forced labour in the cotton, textile and garment value chains in targeted producing countries. It seeks to promote enhanced national legislation and policies to address the basic needs and rights of children engaged or at risk of child labour, and of victims of forced labour. The project combines integrated area-based and value chain approaches to cooperate with governments, social partners, local farmers, communities industries, and international buyers. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken within the framework of the CLEAR COTTON project to combat the worst forms of child labour in the cotton, textile and garment value chains, including forced labour, and also on the results obtained.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. In its previous comments, the Committee urged the Government to intensify its efforts to strengthen the functioning of the education system, including by taking steps to increase school enrolment and completion rates.

The Committee notes the Government’s detailed information according to which the efforts to strengthen the education system include measures to increase school enrolment and completion rates. The measures announced by the Government include: (i) suppression of enrolment fees for public primary and post-primary schools; (ii) transfer of funds to 336 out of 351 communes to purchase essential supplies for pre-school and primary school children; and (iii) provision of scholarships for 12,656 pre-primary school children during 2018-2020. The Government states that this action has benefited 259,417 girls who have received financial support for their schooling; 10,130 girls who have been assisted in their accommodation and catering needs; 17,690 pupils, including 9,703 girls, who have benefited from reinforced capacities; 20,650 pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who have received school kits; 14,909 pupils, including 12,207 girls, and 600,000 parents who have been affected by the social movement on the problems in schooling. The Committee also notes the Government’s information to the effect that measures concerning children’s access to and maintenance in the scholastic system were also taken within the framework of the SN-PFTE, and yielded various results in the course of 2019, including the distribution of 2,539,708 school kits and the provision of 25,414 scholarships to disadvantaged children.

The Committee notes the statistics provided by the Government on the net and gross school enrolment and completion rates for 2015/16 to 2019/20. These statistics reveal a declining trend in school enrolment and completion rates since 2017/18. Effectively, the gross rate of primary school enrolment decreases from 90.7 per cent in 2017/18 to 86.6 per cent in 2019/20; at the same time, the primary school completion rate drops from 63 per cent in 2017/18 to 60.3 per cent in 2019/20. With regard to post-primary schooling, the gross rate declines from 52 per cent in 2017–18 to 49.3 per cent in 2019/20; and the completion rate falls from 40.6 per cent in 2017–18 to 39 per cent in 2019/20.

In this regard, the Committee notes from the information available on the UNICEF website, that this decline in school enrolment and completion rates could be due to the unprecedented security crisis which, since January 2019, has led to a growing humanitarian problem in the country. UNICEF reports that in 2019 2.6 million children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 years were not at school, corresponding to 51.4 per cent of school-age children (of which 48.1 per cent are girls). Between December 2020 and May 2021 – with schools continuing to be attacked by, or under threat from, non-State armed forces – the number of schools that closed rose from 2,169 to 2,224, affecting 304,450 pupils. Moreover, on 16 March 2020 the COVID-19 health crisis caused the closure of all schools in the country, affecting more than 5 million pupils. According to UNICEF, this crisis has compounded pre-existing structural problems compromising fair access of children to education, including the low quality of teaching. While noting the difficult situation prevailing in the country and the measures taken by the Government, the Committee requests the Government to redouble its efforts to improve the functioning of the education system in the country by improving the quality of teaching and access to basic education for all children, especially those affected by the security and health crisis. In this regard, it requests the Government to continue to provide information on the specific measures taken, whether under the SN-PFTE or any other project, and on the results obtained, particularly in respect of increasing the levels of school enrolment and completion.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (d). Identify and reach out to children at special risk. 1. HIV/AIDS orphans. In its previous comments, the Committee noted from the UNAIDS statistics that the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) continues to decrease and that it was on average 71,000 in 2015. The Committee then encouraged the Government to pursue its efforts to protect OVC and requested it to continue providing information on the results achieved in terms of the number of OVC whose engagement in the worst forms of child labour had been prevented in this way.

The Committee notes the Government’s information to the effect that various activities designed to protect OVC had been undertaken, and had yielded the following results: (i) reception, accommodation and care provided to 1,274 OVC in the Ouaga and Orodara “maternal” hotels; (ii) provision of food for 196 OVC in the same hotels; and (iii) provision of training kits for 9,668 OVC. Nevertheless, the Committee notes from the UNAIDS 2020 statistics that the number of OVC is now 83,000, a higher estimation than that of 2015. Recalling that HIV/AIDS orphans run an increased risk of being engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to ensure that these children are protected from the worst forms of child labour. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the concrete measures taken and on the results obtained in terms of the numbers of OVC removed from the worst forms of child labour and placed in education or occupational training. To the extent possible, this data should be disaggregated by sex and age.

2. Street children. In its previous comments the Committee asked the Government to provide information on the number of children in the streets who have been protected from the worst forms of child labour, and rehabilitated and socially integrated, as well as on any effective time-bound measure taken to prevent children of less than 18 years becoming victims of forced or compulsory labour, such as begging, and to remove them from these situations while ensuring their rehabilitation and social integration.

The Committee takes full note of the information provided by the Government regarding the measures taken and the results obtained. The government indicates, among other matters, that for the August 2018 – June 2021 period, 16,839 local inhabitants had been made aware of the phenomenon of children and youths living in the streets, and 5,904 street children and youths had been placed in emergency shelters. The Government indicates that in June 2021, 239 children and youths were present in the emergency shelters, 177 children and youths were continuing the stabilization process in other specialized educational structures, and 102 children had been returned to the regions for follow-up by the regional directorates for women, national solidarity, the family and humanitarian action. Of these, 55 had been placed in school and 47 in occupational training. The Government also indicates that it has placed 414 children in education and occupational training centres, including 189 children retrieved through the operation to remove children and youths from the streets. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of street children that have been protected against the worst forms of child labour, including forced or compulsory labour such as begging, rehabilitated and socially integrated through the various measures taken for this purpose.

Article 8. International cooperation and assistance. Poverty eradication. In its previous comments, the Committee took note of the replacement of the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development 2011-2015 by the National Economic and Social Development Plan 2016-2020 (PNDES), which assigns a key role to combating child labour. The Committee requested the Government to provide information on the results achieved in terms of reducing the incidence of poverty, particularly as part of the implementation of the PNDES.

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on results obtained by the implementation of the PNDES. These include the establishment of a Programme to Support Local Economy Development (PADEL), at a cost of 339 billion CFA francs; and of an Emergency Programme for the Sahel; the formulation of a first draft of an Act providing guidance in respect of territorial planning; the elaboration of a draft territorial planning and sustainable development map; as well as the establishment of the National Observatory for the Territorial Economy. Noting once again that poverty reduction programmes contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty, which is essential for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, the Committee strongly encourages the Government to pursue its efforts to reduce the incidence of poverty. It again requests the Government to provide information on the results achieved, especially with regard to the effective reduction of poverty in vulnerable households and the impact observed on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.