Country profile YEM
Context
Context
| Year | Age group | Proportion | Gender | Indicator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5-17 | 5.3 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2023 | 5-17 | 10 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2023 | 5-17 | 7.7 | Male & Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2023 | 5-17 | 13.9 | Male | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2023 | 5-17 | 18.1 | Female | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%) | Source |
| 2023 | 5-17 | 15.9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light work - Determination of types and conditions of activities | N/A | C138 | N/A | [{"link_name":"CEACR Direct Request","source_link":"https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=1000:13100:0::NO:13100:P13100_COMMENT_ID,P13100_COUNTRY_ID:2242603,103523"}] | 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. | In a Direct Request published in 2005, the CEACR observed that "the provisions regulating the employment of children younger than 15 years of age do not refer to light work and do not seem to regulate light work, as defined by the Convention. Indeed, section 49 of the Labour Code permits the employment of children up to seven hours a day or 42 hours a week, provided that there is a daily break of at least one hour. The Committee considered that the conditions set forth in this provision have been established to govern work done by children in general, and do not provide the necessary conditions to guarantee that light work carried out by children does not harm their health or development or prejudice their participation in education.". Since 2005, no law setting a minimum age for light work or determining the circumstances under which it may be carried out has been implemented in the Yemeni legal framework. |
| Minimum age for light work | N/A | C138 | N/A | [{"link_name":"CEACR Direct Request","source_link":"https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=1000:13100:0::NO:13100:P13100_COMMENT_ID,P13100_COUNTRY_ID:2242603,103523"}] | 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. | In a Direct Request published in 2005, the CEACR observed that "the provisions regulating the employment of children younger than 15 years of age do not refer to light work and do not seem to regulate light work, as defined by the Convention. Indeed, section 49 of the Labour Code permits the employment of children up to seven hours a day or 42 hours a week, provided that there is a daily break of at least one hour. The Committee considered that the conditions set forth in this provision have been established to govern work done by children in general, and do not provide the necessary conditions to guarantee that light work carried out by children does not harm their health or development or prejudice their participation in education.". Since 2005, no law setting a minimum age for light work has been implemented in the Yemeni legal framework. |
| Is the minimum age for admission to work not less than the age for completion of compulsory schooling? | 1992-12-31 | C138 | Law No. 45 of 1992 on The General Law of Education - Section 18. | [{"link_name":"Law No. 45 of 1992 on The General Law of Education","source_link":"http://yemen-nic.info/db/laws_ye/detail.php?ID=11391"}] | 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. | Section 18. of the Law states that Basic education lasts 9 years and that it is compulsory from the age of 6 which brings. This sets the age of completion of compulsory schooling to 15, which is above the minimum age for admission to work, set to 14. |
| Is forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict prohibited? | 2002-12-31 | C182 | Child Rights Law, 2002 - Article 149. e | [{"link_name":"Child Rights Law, 2002","source_link":"http://coca.gov.ye/laws/139"}] | 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. | Article 149 of the Law mandates that the State uphold the international legal standards applicable to it in armed conflicts concerning children. Additionally, subsection (d) states that children must not be directly involved in warfare, while subsection (e) explicitly prohibits the recruitment of children under the age of 18. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, prohibited? | 2013-03-16 | C182 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Section 1 and Section 6. c. | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.pdf"}] | Yes | 11 | C182 prohibits the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs. | While Section 1 of the Ministerial Order defines a child as a person who has not exceeded 18 years of age, Section 6. of the Ministerial Order prohibits the worst forms of child labour which its subsection c. defines as the using, operating or offering of a child to engage in illegal activities, especially in the promotion and sale of drugs. |
| Is the sale and trafficking of children for sexual and labour exploitation prohibited? | 2013-03-16 | C182 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Section 1 and Section 26. | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.pdf"}] | 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. | While Section 1 of the Ministerial Order defines a child as a person who has not exceeded 18 years of age, Section 26. of punishes the offence of buying, selling or disposing of a child. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of a child for the purpose of prostitution and for production of pornography prohibited? | 2013-03-16 | C182 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Section 1 and Section 6. a. | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.pdf"}] | 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. | While Section 1 of the Ministerial Order defines a child as a person who has not exceeded 18 years of age, Section 6. prohibits the worst forms of child labour which its subsection a. defines as the using, operating or offering of a child for the purpose of prostitution, producing of pornographic work or performing of pornographic performances. |
| Minimum age for admission to work | 2013-03-16 | C138 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Article 5 | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.pdf"}] | 14 | 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 5 of the Ministerial order states that "the minimum age for joining work that is free of any risk shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory education and shall not in any case be less than 14 years". |
| List of hazardous activities prohibited for children | 2013-03-16 | C138 & C182 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Sections 7 ; 8 ; 15. | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.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. | Section 7 of this Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013, provides a list of more than 35 industries and occupations, including domestic work, work related to agriculture, fishing, textiles, mechanical work and construction, which are prohibited for children under 18 years. Moreover, section 8 prohibits carrying; pulling or pushing heavy weights. While section 15 prohibits night work and overtime work for children under 18 years. |
| Minimum age for hazardous work | 2013-03-16 | C138 & C182 | Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013 Regulating the prohibited hazardous work and the authorized works for children under 18 years old - Section 4 | [{"link_name":"Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2013","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106494/yem106494%20arab.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 4 of the Ministerial Order provides that the minimum age for a working child shall not be less than 18 years for admission to any type of work that is likely to endanger his or her health, safety or morals due to its nature or to the conditions in which it is performed. |
| Minimum age for admission to apprenticeship | N/A | C138 | N/A | [{"link_name":"CEACR Observation","source_link":"https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=1000:13100:0::NO:13100:P13100_COMMENT_ID,P13100_COUNTRY_ID:4419657,103523:NO"}] | No | 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. | In an Observation published in 2025, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) stated that "In its previous comments, [it] expressed the firm hope that the draft Labour Code which contains provisions setting a minimum age of 14 years for apprenticeship and the Ministerial Order No. 11 which would be amended to set a minimum age of 14 years for apprenticeship, would be adopted soon. [It noted] from the Government’s report that the draft Labour Code and the Ministerial Order No. 11 has not been adopted". |
International Legal Framework
International Legal Framework
| Ratification status | Convention | Convention description | Date of ratification | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in-force | C138 | Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) | 15-JUN-2000 | Source |
| in-force | C182 | Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) | 15-JUN-2000 | Source |
Policies and Plans
Policies and Plans
| Description | sources | Period | Policy name | Implementing agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In a Observation published in 2025, the CEACR welcomed the information that Yemen had adopted a Plan to combat child labour. The Committee noted that the objectives of this Action plan include :" (i) to prevent child labour and protect children; (ii) to ensure social protection to children who end up in the labour market; (iii) to ensure that the monitoring bodies are better able to intervene in cases of child labour; (iv) to increase vocational training; (v) to undertake a study on child labour; and (vi) to adopt a national policy against child labour. ". | [{"link_name":"CEACR Observation","source_link":"https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:13100:0::NO::P13100_COMMENT_ID%2CP13100_COUNTRY_ID:4419657%2C103523"}] | 2019-2026 | National Action Plan to Combat Child Labour | No information |
| In a Direct Request published in 2025, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR), noted "the Government’s information that it [had] formulated a plan of action to combat trafficking of children which focusses on reviewing legislation to ensure the criminalization of those involved in the trafficking of children; developing measures to ensure care and compensation to child victims of trafficking; strengthening the investigation and judicial follow-up of cases involving trafficking of children; and implementing awareness-raising programmes in regions where children are vulnerable to trafficking. However, the Committee [noted] the Government’s indication that the implementation of this action plan has been hindered due to war.". | [{"link_name":"CEACR Direct Request","source_link":"https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=1000:13100:0::NO:13100:P13100_COMMENT_ID,P13100_COUNTRY_ID:4419672,103523:NO"}] | No information | Plan of action to combat trafficking of children | National Technical Committee for Combating Human Trafficking |