Selected Child Labor Measures Adopted by Governments
Ratified Convention 138 3/16/1984 |
X |
Ratified Convention 182 9/19/2000 |
X |
ILO-IPEC Member |
X |
National Plan for Children |
X |
National Child Labor Action Plan |
X |
Sector Action Plan |
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Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
UNICEF estimated that 66.2 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were working in Togo in 2000.[3912] Children are found working in both urban and rural areas, particularly in family-based farming and small-scale trading.[3913] In rural areas, young children are sometimes placed in domestic work in exchange for a one-time fee of 15,000 to 20,000 CFA francs (USD 27.47 to 36.63) paid to their parents.[3914] Some children work in factories, [3915] and others work as hawkers or beggars in Lomé.[3916] Children are also employed as prostitutes in bars, restaurants and hotels.[3917]
In remote parts of the country, a form of bonded labor occurs in the traditional practice known as trokosi, where young girls become slaves to priests for offenses allegedly committed by a member of their family.[3918] Abuse of the cultural practice of Amegbonovei, through which extended family relations help to place children (usually from rural areas) with families who agree to pay for the children’s education or provide them with a salary in exchange for domestic work, contributes to the incidence of child trafficking. Often the intermediaries who arrange the placements abuse the children and rape the girls. These children are also sometimes mistreated by the families with whom they are placed.[3919]
Togo is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in persons.[3920] Four primary routes for child trafficking in Togo have been documented: (1) trafficking of Togolese girls for domestic and market labor in Gabon, Benin, Niger and Nigeria; (2) trafficking of girls within the country, particularly to the capital city, Lomé, often for domestic or market labor; (3) trafficking of girls from Benin, Nigeria and Ghana to Lomé; and (4) trafficking of boys for labor exploitation, usually in agriculture, in Nigeria, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.[3921] Trafficked boys sometimes work with hazardous equipment, and some describe conditions similar to bonded labor.[3922] Children are also trafficked from Togo to the Middle East and Europe, and there are reports that girls are trafficked to Nigeria for prostitution.[3923] Parents sometimes sell children to traffickers in exchange for bicycles, radios, or clothing.[3924] Togo also serves as a transit country for children trafficked from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria.[3925]
Education is compulsory until 15 years,[3926] and school fees range from 4,000 to 13,000 CFA francs (USD 7.33 to 23.81).[3927] In 2001, the gross primary enrollment rate was 124.2 percent (136.5 percent for boys, 111.9 percent for girls), and the net primary enrollment rate was 91.8 percent (100.0 percent for boys, 83.6 percent for girls).[3928] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 2000, the net primary attendance rate was 63.0 percent.[3929] As of 2000, 84.3 percent of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.[3930] Some of the shortcomings of the education system include teacher shortages, lower educational quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates.[3931]
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The Labor Code sets the minimum employment age in any enterprise at 14 years, unless an exemption is granted by the Ministry of Labor.[3932] However, children may not begin apprenticeships before 15 years.[3933] Children are forbidden from working at night without special permission from the ministry in charge of professional training.[3934] The Children’s Code prohibits the employment of children in the worst forms of child labor, as well as the trade of children for the purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor or servitude.[3935] Certain industrial and technical jobs set a minimum age of 18.[3936] The U.S. Department of State reported that the Ministry of Labor enforces the law only in the urban, formal sector.[3937] The Ministry of Social Affairs, Promotion of Women, and Protection of Children is responsible for enforcing laws prohibiting the worst forms of child labor, but according to the U.S. State Department, lacks resources to implement its mandate.[3938] In 2000, the government revised portions of the Apprenticeship Code, resulting in guidelines governing the length of the workday, working conditions, and apprenticeship fees.[3939]
Togolese law does not specifically prohibit forced or bonded labor by children,[3940] or trafficking in persons, but statutes against kidnapping, procuring, and other related crimes may be used to prosecute traffickers.[3941] Article 78 of the Penal Code prohibits the corruption, abduction or transfer of children against the will of a child’s guardian.[3942] Articles 91 to 94 of the Penal Code prohibit the solicitation and procurement of minors for the purpose of prostitution.[3943]
Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of Togo is one of nine countries participating in a USDOL-funded ILO-IPEC project to combat the trafficking of children for exploitative labor in West and Central Africa.[3944] The government is also participating in a USD 2 million USDOL-funded education initiative in Togo to promote education for victims of child trafficking and children at risk of being trafficked.[3945]
During the past year, the Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs traveled to all regions of the country to raise awareness of child trafficking and to establish local prevention and rehabilitation committees. In his end-of-year message, the Togolese president appealed to development organizations to support the fight against child trafficking.[3946]
The government funds a Social Center for Abandoned Children.[3947] Togo also cooperates with the Governments of Benin, Ghana and Nigeria under a Quadripartite Law that enables expedited extraditions.[3948] The government has a National Plan of Action on child abuse, child labor, and child trafficking that includes activities such as strengthening border controls, awareness-raising campaigns, and establishing community structures for prevention and reintegration of child trafficking victims.[3949] UNICEF is assisting Togo to strengthen community capacity to combat child trafficking.[3950]
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