Country profile URY
Context
Context
| Year | Age group | Proportion | Gender | Indicator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5-17 | 5.1 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
| 2010 | 5-17 | 2.3 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
| 2010 | 5-17 | 3.7 | Male & Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
| 2010 | 5-17 | 5.3 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
| 2010 | 5-17 | 3 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
| 2010 | 5-17 | 4.2 | Male & Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | UN SDG Indicators Database |
National Legal Framework
National Legal Framework
| Provision | Legislation date | Convention | Legislation info | sources | Value | sort_order | Provision description | Legislation description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| List of hazardous activities prohibited for children | 2017-12-01 | C138 & C182 | Resolution No. 3344/17 | [{"link_name":"Resolution No. 3344/17","source_link":"https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-trabajo-seguridad-social/politicas-y-gestion/trabajos-peligrosos-para-adolescentes"}] | 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. | The list of hazardous work was approved by the Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU) Resolution No. 3344/17 dated 1 December 2017. |
| Minimum age for hazardous work | 2004-09-07 | C138 & C182 | Code for Children and Adolescents - Article 1 and 163 | [{"link_name":"Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"}] | 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. | Article 1 states that the Children and Adolescents Code applies to all persons under the age of eighteen while Article 163 stipulates that hazardous work is prohibited to children and adolescents, implying that the prohibition applies to all individual aged less than 18 years. |
| Is the minimum age for admission to work not less than the age for completion of compulsory schooling? | 2008-12-12 | C138 | General Education Law - Article 7 and Articles 24-27 | [{"link_name":"General Education Law","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/18437-2008"}] | No | 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. | Article 7 establishes that early childhood education is compulsory from the age of 4 through upper secondary education. In addition, Articles 24 to 27 define the structure and duration of the different cycles of schooling and specify that “upper secondary education comprises the three years following the completion of lower secondary education and constitutes the final stage of compulsory education.” This structure implies that compulsory schooling normally ends at the age of 17 or 18. Consequently, the age of completion of compulsory education is higher than the minimum age for admission to employment. |
| Minimum age for admission to work | 2004-09-07 | C138 | Code for Children and Adolescents - Article 162 | [{"link_name":"Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"}] | 15 | 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. | Article 162 of the Code sets the minimum age for admission to work to 15 years. |
| Is forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict prohibited? | 2004-09-07 | C182 | Code for Children and Adolescents - Article 13 | [{"link_name":"Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"}] | N/A | 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. | The country has no conscription, implying that military service is only voluntary. However, it is worth noting that Article 13 of the Code on Children and Adolescents states that children and adolescents may not take part in hostilities in armed conflicts or receive training for that purpose. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, prohibited? | 1998-10-22 | C182 | Narcotics Law - Articles 31 and 59 | [{"link_name":"Narcotics Law","source_link":"https://www.oas.org/ext/Portals/33/Files/MLA/Ury_multla_leg_esp_1.pdf"}] | Yes | 11 | C182 prohibits the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs. | Article 31 prohibits the trafficking of illegal substances while Article 59 considers the engagement of a child in the committing of such offence as an aggravating circumstance. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of a child for the purpose of prostitution and for production of pornography prohibited? | 2004-09-06 | C182 | Law 17815 on Sexual Violence Against Children, Adolescents or Disabled Persons - Articles 1 and 5 | [{"link_name":"Law 17815 on Sexual Violence Against Children, Adolescents or Disabled Persons","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17815-2004"}] | 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. | Articles 1 and 5 prohibit, respectively, the use of children for the production of pornographic content and for prostitution. |
| Is the sale and trafficking of children for sexual and labour exploitation prohibited? | 2008-01-06 ; 2004-09-06 ; 2018-07-20 | C182 | Migration Law - Articles 78 and 81 ; Law 17815 on Sexual Violence Against Children, Adolescents or Disabled Persons - Article 6 ; Law 19643 on the Prevention and Combating of Human Trafficking Amending the Penal Code - Article 4. S) | [{"link_name":"-Migration Law","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/18250-2008"},{"link_name":"-Law 17815 on Sexual Violence Against Children, Adolescents or Disabled Persons","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17815-2004"},{"link_name":"-Law 19643 on the Prevention and Combating of Human Trafficking Amending the Penal Code","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/19643-2018"}] | 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. | Article 78 prohibits Human trafficking while Article 81 considers as an aggravating circumstance the committing of such offence on a child. In addition, Article 6 of the Law 17815 punishes anyone who in any way favours or facilitates the entry into or exit from the country of minors or incapacitated persons for the purpose of prostitution or sexual exploitation while Article 4. S) of Law 19643 pohibits the sale of children or adolescents. |
| Minimum age for admission to apprenticeship | 2004-09-07 ; 2021-08-13 | C138 | Code for Children and Adolescents ; Law No.19973 regulating active employment policies aimed at promoting access to paid employment for young people aged 15 to 29, workers over the age of 45 and people with disabilities | [{"link_name":"-Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"},{"link_name":"-Law No.19973","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/19973-2021"}] | 15 | 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. | The minimum age for admission to apprenticeship is set to 15 years. |
| Light work - Determination of types and conditions of activities | 2004-09-07 | C138 | Code for Children and Adolescents - Article 165 | [{"link_name":"Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"}] | 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. | Article 165 provides that only light work may be performed by children over the age of 13, provided that, by its nature or the conditions under which it is carried out, it does not harm their physical, mental, or social development, nor interfere with their education. However, the law does not further specify the types of activities permitted or the precise conditions under which such work may take place. |
| Minimum age for light work | 2004-09-07 | C138 | Code for Children and Adolescents - Article 165 | [{"link_name":"Code for Children and Adolescents","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/codigo-ninez-adolescencia/17823-2004"}] | 13 | 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. | Article 165 of the Code stipulates that "the Uruguayan Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU) will review the authorisations it has granted for the employment of children and adolescents between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. Only light work will be permitted, which, due to its nature or the conditions in which it is performed, does not harm their physical, mental or social development or interfere with their schooling.". |
International Legal Framework
International Legal Framework
| Ratification status | Convention | Convention description | Date of ratification | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in-force | C138 | Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) | 02-JUN-1977 | Source |
| in-force | C182 | Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) | 03-AUG-2001 | Source |
Policies and Plans
Policies and Plans
| Description | sources | Period | Policy name | Implementing agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In October 2019, Law No. 19747 was implemented, establishing the permanent creation of the SIPIAV. It aims to prevent, address and remedy situations of violence against children and adolescents through a comprehensive and inter-institutional approach and to promote the development of intervention models by the various institutions involved in the care and redress process, ensuring the comprehensiveness of the process. | [{"link_name":"SIPIAV","source_link":"https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/19747-2019"}] | 2019 | Comprehensive System for the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence (SIPIAV) | Institute for Children and Adolescents |
| The plan aims at providing guidance and support for the educational policies to be developed until 2025. To meet this goal, some priority objectives are defined : Ensure school access to all children, notably, by reintegrating drop-out students; Improve quality learning, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable by addressing responses to socio-economic vulnerability and other forms of vulnerability, etc. | [{"link_name":"National educational policy plan","source_link":"https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-educacion-cultura/sites/ministerio-educacion-cultura/files/documentos/publicaciones/Plan%20de%20Politica%20Educativa%20Nacional%202020-2025_1.pdf"}] | 2020-2025 | National educational policy plan | Ministry of Education and Culture |
| The plan seeks to meet some key goals including : Advance the full implementation of Law No. 19.643 on the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons in Uruguay; Expand intra- and inter-institutional capacities for the detection, reporting, and assistance of possible situations of trafficking and exploitation of persons; Improve the capacity of the Inter-institutional Response System in accordance with Law No. 19.643; Promote the professionalisation of civil servants and other actors involved in the issue; Promote an advocacy strategy for cultural transformation and the prevention of human trafficking and exploitation in Uruguay. | [{"link_name":"National Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons","source_link":"https://prett.org/sites/default/files/gbb-uploads/Publicaciones/II_Plan_Nacional_de_Prevencion_y_Compate_a_la_trata_y_explotacion_de_personas_en_Uruguay_APROBADO.pdf"}] | 2022-2024 | National Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons | National Council for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons |
| The plan's general objective is to create an intersectoral framework for action to eradicate commercial and non-commercial sexual exploitation, ensuring prevention, care and the consolidation of the rights of children and adolescents, as well as the investigation and combating of crime. | [{"link_name":"National Plan for the elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young persons","source_link":"https://www.inau.gub.uy/conapees/download/10402/981/16"}] | 2023-2028 | National Plan for the elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young persons | National Committee for the Eradication of Commercial and Non-Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (CONAPEES) |