Country profile LKA
Context
Context
| Year | Age group | Proportion | Gender | Indicator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.94 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.61 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.78 | Male & Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.94 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.62 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2016 | 5-17 | 0.78 | Male & Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | Source |
National Legal Framework
National Legal Framework
| Provision | Legislation date | Convention | Legislation info | sources | Value | sort_order | Provision description | Legislation description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, prohibited? | 01-01-1885 | C182 | Penal Code - Section 288B (1) | [{"link_name":"Penal Code","source_link":"https://www.refworld.org/docid/4c03e2af2.html"}] | Yes | 11 | C182 prohibits the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs. | Section 288B (1) provides that whoever knowingly, hires, employs, persuades, uses, induces or coerces a child to traffic in any restricted article shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term not less than five years and not exceeding seven years and may also be liable to a fine. Trafficking includes selling , giving, procuring, storing , administering, transporting, sending, delivering or distributing. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of a child for the purpose of prostitution and for production of pornography prohibited? | 01-01-1885 | C182 | Penal Code - Sections 286A, 288A, 360A and 360B | [{"link_name":"Penal Code","source_link":"https://www.refworld.org/docid/4c03e2af2.html"}] | Yes | 10 | C182 prohibits the use of a child under the age of 18 for prostitution, regardless of the child's consent. The use, procuring or offering of any person under the age of 18 for commercial sexual exploitation constitutes a worst form of child labour, even if prostitution is a legalised. In regard to the prohibition of child pornography, States need to make sure that national legislation addresses the involvement of a child in the production of pornographic materials, including non-recorded performances. | Sections 286A, 288A, 360A and 360B of the Penal Code, as amended, prohibited the use, procuring or offering of children for prostitution, and for pornographic performances. |
| Is forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict prohibited? | 07-11-1956 (Amendment 2021) | C182 | The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956 | [{"link_name":"The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956","source_link":"https://employers.lk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2_Employment-of-Women-Young-Persons-and-Children-Act-No.47-of-1956.pdf"}] | Yes | 9 | C182 defines forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict as a worst form of child labour. Nevertheless, C182 only prohibits the forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18, and does not cover the voluntary recruitment of children under 18. | In its declaration made on ratification of the Optional Protocol in September 2000, the government stated that there is no compulsory, forced or coerced recruitment into the national armed forces; recruitment is solely on a voluntary basis; and the minimum age for recruitment into the armed forces is 18. There were no reports of children being recruited into government forces. |
| Is the sale and trafficking of children for sexual and labour exploitation prohibited? | 01-01-1885 | C182 | Penal Code - Section 360(c) | [{"link_name":"Penal Code","source_link":"https://www.refworld.org/docid/4c03e2af2.html"}] | Yes | 8 | C182 defines all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour as worst forms of child labour. | Section 360(c) provides thar whoever recruits, transports, transfers, harbours or receives a child or does any other act whether with or without the consent of such child for the purpose of securing forced or compulsory labour or services, slavery, servitude or the removal of organs, prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, or any other act which constitutes an offence under any law. |
| List of hazardous activities prohibited for children | 2021-11-15 | C138 & C182 | Hazardous Occupations Regulations No. 01 - Sections 20A and 31 | [{"link_name":"Hazardous Occupations Regulations No. 01","source_link":"https://labourdept.gov.lk/downloads/new_amendments/20.pdf"}] | Yes | 7 | C138 and C182 require the national determination of a list of hazardous work prohibited for children under 18 years of age. The competent authorities should consult with workers' and employers' organizations to determine what types of employment or work are considered to be hazardous. Such a list shall be periodically examined and revised as necessary. | A regulation made by the Minister of Labour Relations and Productivity Improvement in Sri Lanka, under section 31 read with section 20A of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, No. 47 of 1956, in accordance with the guidelines specified in section 20A of that Act provides a list of hazardous occupations prohibited for children under 18 years. These have been listed in the document. |
| Minimum age for hazardous work | 07-11-1956 (Amendment 2021) | C138 & C182 | The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956 - Section 20A | [{"link_name":"The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956","source_link":"https://employers.lk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2_Employment-of-Women-Young-Persons-and-Children-Act-No.47-of-1956.pdf"}] | 18 | 6 | C138 and C182 set 18 as the minimum age for hazardous work, which is defined as work that, due to its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to jeopardize children’s health, safety or morals. C138 and C182 allow countries to permit hazardous work exceptionally as from 16, provided that the health, safety and morals of the young persons concerned are fully protected and that they have received adequate specific instruction or training. | Section 20A (1) states that no person under the age of eighteen years shall be employed in any hazardous occupation, which shall be prescribed in accordance with the guidelines specified in subsection (2). (2) In prescribing hazardous occupations for purpose of the subsection (1), the Minister shall take into consideration the nature or the circumstances in which the occupation is being carried out and the harm that may be caused as a result thereof to the health, safety or morals of a person referred to in subsection (1). |
| Minimum age for admission to apprenticeship | 07-11-1956 (Amendment 2021) | C138 | The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956 - Section 14 | [{"link_name":"The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956","source_link":"https://employers.lk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2_Employment-of-Women-Young-Persons-and-Children-Act-No.47-of-1956.pdf"}] | 16 | 5 | C138 does not apply to work done in school for general, vocational or technical education or in training institutions or work done by children at least 14 years of age in undertakings, where such work is carried out in accordance with conditions prescribed by the competent authority. Such work must be an integral part of: (i) a course of education or training for which a school or training institution is primarily responsible; (ii) a programme of training mainly or entirely in an undertaking, which programme has been approved by the competent authority; or (iii) a programme of guidance or orientation designed to facilitate the choice of an occupation or of a line of training. | Section 14: (1) A child may not be employed except – (b) in any school or other institution supervised by a public authority and imparting technical education or other training for the purpose of any trade or occupation. |
| Is the minimum age for admission to work not less than the age for completion of compulsory schooling? | 1905-07-07 | C138 | The Compulsory Attendance of Children at School Regulation No. 1 of 2015 - Section 1.2.3 | [{"link_name":"The Compulsory Attendance of Children at School Regulation No. 1 of 2015","source_link":"https://nec.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Towards-a-New-Education-Act.pdf"}] | Yes | 4 | C138 requires that the minimum age for admission to work shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, shall not be less than 15 years. | Provides for compulsory education from 5 to 16 years of age. This aligns with the minimum age for admission to work. |
| Light work - Determination of types and conditions of activities | N/A | C138 | N/A | [{"link_name":"N/A","source_link":"N/A"}] | N/A | 3 | If the country chooses to allow light work, States must determine what activities are considered light work, and the hours and the circumstances under which they may be carried out. | Light work is not allowed |
| Minimum age for light work | N/A | C138 | N/A | [{"link_name":"N/A","source_link":"N/A"}] | N/A | 2 | C138 defines light work as work that does not interfere with children’s schooling, or their ability to benefit from it, and that is not hazardous. C138 allows countries to permit light work for children younger than the general minimum age. For countries that set the minimum age at 15, this means children aged 13-14, and for those that set it at 14, children aged 12-13 may engage in light work. | Light work is not allowed |
| Minimum age for admission to work | 07-11-1956 (Amendment 2021) | C138 | Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2021 | [{"link_name":"Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2021","source_link":"https://employers.lk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2_Employment-of-Women-Young-Persons-and-Children-Act-No.47-of-1956.pdf"}] | 16 | 1 | C138 establishes 15 as the minimum age for work in general. Developing countries have the option of setting a minimum age of 14 as a transitional measure as they strengthen their education systems and economies. | The last amendment contains provisions raising the minimum age from 14 to 16 years. |
International Legal Framework
International Legal Framework
| Ratification status | Convention | Convention description | Date of ratification | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in-force | C138 | Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) | 11-FEB-2000 | Source |
| in-force | C182 | Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) | 01-MAR-2001 | Source |
Policies and Plans
Policies and Plans
| Description | sources | Period | Policy name | Implementing agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2019, Sri Lanka is a Pathfinder country of the Alliance 8.7, a global partnership taking immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour. This commitment led the country to design a roadmap aiming at identifying actions to eliminate child labour by 2025. The priorities highlighted in the roadmap include: reduce school dropouts; implement educational reforms to make career guidance around 14 years old compulsory and to encourage technical subjects; develop awareness programs for both adults and children and get the involvement of religious organizations and religious leaders to eliminate child labour; map vulnerable families; establish a monitoring committee at the Divisional Secretariat level; create a sound data collection mechanism; strengthen child protection systems; ensure the strict enforcement of child labour laws and review and strengthen existing laws. | [{"link_name":"Roadmap of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the Alliance 8.7","source_link":"https://www.alliance87.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/ALLIANCE%208.7%20ROADMAP-SRI%20LANKA.pdf"}] | 2024-2026 | Roadmap of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for the Alliance 8.7 | National Steering Committee on Elimination of Child Labour, Forced Labour Task Force, National Anti Human Trafficking Task Force |
| To reach a sustainable transformation of education in Sri Lanka, the NEPF aims to sustainably enhance the access, quality, relevance and digital transformation of the education system through systemic changes to the teaching, learning and credentialing; redefine the actors and institutions in governance; optimize investments and resources domains to expedite economic and social development. | [{"link_name":"NEPF","source_link":"https://moe.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/09/NEPF_English_final.pdf"}] | 2023-2033 | National Education Policy Framework (NEPF) | Cabinet Sub-Committee |
| The Government of Sri Lanka acknowledges education as a human right; and provides free education from grade 1 of government schools to the first degree level at the state universities since 1947. As a result, Sri Lanka enjoys a high literacy rate, higher primary and secondary enrolment rates and higher survival/retention rates compared to other countries which share similar status of GDP. Ministry of Education (MoE) as the responsible Ministry for the general (school) education continuously works towards improving the quality of education in consultation with all national and provincial level education authorities and all other stakeholders. | [{"link_name":"General Education Sector Development Plan","source_link":"https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/sri_lanka_general-education-sector-development-plan-2021-2025.pdf"}] | 2020-2025 | General Education Sector Development Plan | Ministry of Education (MoE) |
| The National Policy on Elimination of Child Labour was adopted in 2017, and that a national action plan is being prepared in this regard. The Committee notes in this regard that the National Steering Committee within the Ministry of Labour is in charge of the coordination and the monitoring of the implementation of the Policy. One of the objectives of the National Plan of Action for Children in Sri Lanka 2016–20 is to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation in relation to trafficking, sale and commercial sex networks, and to respond to the needs of such children for rehabilitation. | [{"link_name":"National Plan of Action for Children","source_link":"https://www.childwomenmin.gov.lk/uploads/common/action-plan---2025-january-to-april.pdf"}] | 2016-2020 | National Plan of Action for Children | National Steering Committee and the Ministry of Labour |