Observación (CEACR) - Adopción: 2023, Publicación: 112ª reunión CIT (2024)

Convenio sobre la edad mínima, 1973 (núm. 138) - Kazajstán (Ratificación : 2001)

Previous comment

The Committee notes the observations of the Trade Union of Workers in the Fuel and Energy Complex, received on 31 August 2022.

Labour inspection and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that in 2021, nine cases of the use of child labour involving 29 children were identified. The Government further indicates that children involved in child labour usually work as sellers, waiters and at car wash stations. In addition, the Government indicates that in 2022, more than 7,000 raids were carried out during the annual National Information Campaign “12 days against child labour”.

The Committee notes from the observations of the Trade Union of Workers in the Fuel and Energy Complex that despite the prohibition in law, child labour continues to exist in practice, particularly due to the lack of effective coordination between state agencies and insufficient trainings of the relevant bodies. The Trade Union of Workers in the Fuel and Energy Complex also refers to the findings of a sociological survey undertaken in the Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan, according to which 50 out of 76 respondents aged 12 years and above were engaged in employment.

The Committee further observes that in its detailed comments made in relation to the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129), it had noted various limitations and restrictions of labour inspections, including the introduction of a temporary moratorium on labour inspections, which applies to private and state-owned enterprises belonging to the categories of small and micro-enterprises. The Committee urges the Government to take the necessary measures to strengthen the capacity and expand the reach of the labour inspectorate services to adequately monitor and detect cases of child labour in the country. The Committee requests the Government to provide information in this respect as well as on the number of inspections on child labour carried out by state labour inspectors as well as by other agencies, and on the number and nature of violations detected and penalties imposed in this regard.

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