Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Djibouti (Ratification: 2005)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report, due since 2017, has not been received. In the light of the urgent appeal made to the Government in 2020, the Committee has proceeded with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information at its disposal.

Articles 3(a) and 7(1) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour and penalties. Sale and trafficking of children. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure the implementation of Act No. 133/AN/16/7eme L of 2016 on action against the trafficking of persons and the illicit trafficking of migrants. It also requested the Government to provide statistics on the number and nature of the violations reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and criminal penalties imposed.

The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s periodic report in reply to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/DJI/3-5) of 6 February 2019, the first conviction of a case of trafficking in persons was handed down in Djibouti in 2017, and that the age of the victim was not specified. The Committee also notes a new project on action against trafficking in persons, the implementation of which has been entrusted to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project aims to strengthen the response of the national criminal justice system to trafficking in persons in Djibouti, by addressing the following four areas: (i) the protection and assistance of trafficking victims; (ii) the training of judges and law enforcement officials; (iii) awareness-raising; and (iv) the collection of data on trafficking. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure the implementation in practice of the Act on action against the trafficking of persons and the illicit trafficking of migrants. It requests the Government to provide information on this subject, including statistics on the number and nature of the violations reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and criminal penalties imposed. It also requests the Government to provide the results of the project carried out in collaboration with the UNODC, with a view to strengthening the response of the national criminal justice system to trafficking in persons.

Article 5. Monitoring mechanisms. Labour inspection and the National Children’s Council. The Committee previously requested the Government to continue taking measures to strengthen the capacity of the Labour Inspection Office so that it has the necessary knowledge and resources to combat the worst forms of child labour effectively. Noting the lack of information in this respect, the Committee once again requests the Government to continue taking measures to strengthen the capacity of the Labour Inspection Office so that it has the necessary knowledge and resources to combat the worst forms of child labour effectively. It requests the Government to supply information on any progress made in this respect.

Article 7(2)(e). Particular situation of girls. The Committee previously requested the Government to intensify its efforts to give particular attention to the enrolment of girls in school, particularly at secondary level, to prevent their engagement in the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to provide information on the progress made in this respect and the results achieved through, inter alia, the cooperation programme with the UNICEF.

The Committee notes that gender disparity has decreased and that, according to the Institute for Statistics of the UNESCO, the primary school attendance rate in 2021was 72.21 per cent for girls and 73.85 per cent for boys (in 2014, these rates were 62.26 and 72.53 per cent, respectively). The secondary school attendance rate was 55.23 per cent for girls and 54.27 for boys (in 2014, these rates were 41.46 and 51.13 per cent, respectively).

The Committee also notes that, according to the Government’s report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) of 20 October 2020, between 2009 and 2017, gender parity at primary level was achieved, with the index increasing from 0.86 to 1. At secondary level, the gender parity index only increased slightly from 0.73 to 0.85. The Committee notes that, according to the same sources, various activities for girls have been carried out by the Government, such as: (i) the provision of vocational training for young girls who have left school early; and (ii) the establishment in 2019 of integrated rural schools with basic social infrastructure. The Committee requests the Government to pursue its efforts to give particular attention to the enrolment of girls in school, particularly in rural areas, to prevent their engagement in the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to provide information on the progress made in this regard and the results achieved in integrated rural schools.

Article 8. Enhanced international cooperation and assistance. Poverty reduction. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the impact of strategies for poverty reduction, the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, and on any other international collaboration project aimed at reducing poverty and combating the worst forms of child labour.

The Committee notes the various Government strategies and programmes in collaboration with other bodies with a view to reducing poverty, including: (i) the Vision Djibouti 2035 strategy, which builds on the Poverty Reduction Strategy 2004-2006 and the National Social Development Initiative 2008-2012. This new strategy envisages reducing absolute poverty by over a third by 2035 by means of a growth rate of between 7.5 and 10 per cent during the period 2013-2035. It also envisages reducing the rate of unemployment in the broad sense from 48 per cent in 2012 to around 10 per cent in 2035; (ii) a five-year accelerated growth and employment promotion strategy entitled SCAPE 2015-2019, which establishes a strategy based on economic growth, the development of human capital, public governance and institutional capacity building, and which is based on the Vision Djibouti 2035 strategy; and (iii) the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2018-2022, which prioritizes, inter alia, the strengthening of policies and strategies for the most vulnerable children, such as children with special needs, street children, and children in refugee camps. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of these strategies on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and on any other international collaboration project aimed at reducing poverty and combating the worst forms of child labour.