2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Paraguay

Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

The Government of Paraguay has been a member of ILO-IPEC since 1998 and created the National Commission on Child Labor in 1999.^[1990] In 2001, ILO-IPEC began implementing two projects to address the domestic servant population and the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents on the Brazilian border.^[1991] The Secretariat of Social Action runs an ongoing program for children and adolescent street workers.^[1992]

Incidence and Nature of Child Labor

In 1999, the ILO estimated that 6.3 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 14 in Paraguay were working.^[1993] According to the Ministry of Labor and Justice, 23 percent of children work in urban areas, while 44 percent work in rural areas.^[1994] Children sell newspapers and sundries, clean car windows, and work in markets and alongside their parents in fields.^[1995] Poor families often send their daughters to work as domestic servants in the homes of friends or relatives in exchange for room, board, and financial support for schooling.^[1996] In 1999, a trafficking ring reportedly lured teenage girls from Paraguay to Argentina to work as domestic servants, then forced the girls into prostitution.^[1997] There were also allegations that children were forced to enlist in the armed forces.^[1998]

The General Education Law establishes free and compulsory basic education for 9 years.^[1999] In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 110.9 percent, and in 1996 the net primary enrollment rate was 91.2 percent.^[2000] Primary school attendance rates are unavailable for Paraguay. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect a child's participation in school.^[2001] However, the Ministry of Labor and Justice reports that only 50 percent of children who start the first grade complete the primary level, and in rural areas, the completion rate drops to 10 percent.^[2002]

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

The Child and Adolescent's Code of 2001 sets the minimum age for employment at 14. The Code prohibits children between the ages of 14 and 18 from working underground, underwater or under any other conditions that might be physically, mentally or morally dangerous or harmful to their well-being.^[2003] Children between the ages of 14 and 16 may not work in excess of four hours a day and 24 hours a week. Children ages 16 to 18 may not work more than six hours a day and 36 hours a week.^[2004] The Code also makes it unlawful to contract children for domestic work outside of Paraguay.^[2005]

The Constitution prohibits any form of slavery, repression or trade in human beings.^[2006] The commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, and the production or distribution of pornographic publications are prohibited under the Child and Adolescent's Code.^[2007] The Penal Code prohibits any individual from putting the life or liberty of another individual in danger by forcing, tricking, or coercing a person to leave the country, and it prescribes legal punishments for individuals who prostitute children under the age of 18.^[2008]

The Ministry of Labor and Justice's Director General for the Protection of Minors is responsible for enforcing child labor laws. The government does not have the resources to effectively enforce regulations on the minimum age for employment.^[2009] Paraguay has not ratified ILO Convention 138, but ratified ILO Convention 182 on March 3, 2001.^[2010]

[1990] Ministerio de Justicia y Trabajo, Viceministro del Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Dirección del Servicio Nacional de Empleo, Asuntos Internactionales, Information on Efforts by Paraguay to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor, October 24, 2001 [hereinafter Information on Efforts by Paraguay to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor], 2.

[1991] ILO-IPEC, Prevention and Elimination of Child Domestic Labour in South America, project document, March 12, 2000 [document on file].

[1992] ILO-IPEC, Oficina Regional para America Latina y el Caribe, Paraguay, at http://www.oit.org.pe/spanish/260ameri/oitreg/activid/proyectos/ipec/paraguay.shtml, ultima modificacion 10/2/01, as cited on 10/29/2001.

[1993] ILO statistics as cited in World Development Indicators 2001 (Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2001) [CD-ROM] [hereinafter World Development Indicators 2001].

[1994] Information on Efforts by Paraguay to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor at 1.

[1995] Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000 – Paraguay (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State, 2001) [hereinafter Country Reports 2000], Section 6d, at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/wha/index.cfm?docid=823.

[1996] Ibid. at Section 6c.

[1997] Ibid. at Section 6f.

[1998] Ibid. at Section 6c.

[1999] Legislación Juvenil en Paraguay, Ley General de Educación, Titulo III, Educación de Regimen General, Capitulo II: Educación Formal, Seccion III, Educación Escolar Básica, Artículo 32.10-33, at http://www.cinterfor.org.uy/public/Spanish/region/ampro/cinterfor/temas/youth/mi ... /indes.ht. See also U.S. Embassy-Asunción, unclassified telegram no. 1276, September 2001.

[2000] World Development Indicators 2001.

[2001] For a more detailed discussion on the relationship between education statistics and work, see Introduction to this report.

[2002] Information on Efforts by Paraguay to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor at 1.

[2003] Código de la Niñez y la Adolescencia, Ley No. 1680, Titulo II, de la Protección a los Adolescentes Trabajadores, Capitulo I, de las Disposiciones Generales, Articulo 54, de los Trabajos Prohibidos.

[2004] Compendio Ninez, Marcos Normativos de los Derechos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia en Paraguay, Tomo II, Instrumentos Juridicos Nacionales (UNICEF, CDIA) [n.d.] [document on file], 47.

[2005] Titulo II, de la Protección a los Adolescentes Trabajadores, Capitulo III, Del Adolescente Trabajador Doméstico, Articulo 67, De la Prohibición de Salir del Pais at http://www2.paraguaygobierno.gov.py/1680-b.doc. on 11/5/01.

[2006] Constitucion Nacional, Parte I, Titulo II, De los Derechos, de los Deberes y de las Garantias, Seccion III, Capitulo II, De la Libertad, Articulo 10, De la Proscripcion de la Esclavitud y Otras Servidumbres, at http://www.senado.gov.py/constitu.html on 11/5/01.

[2007] Codigo de la Ninez y la Adolescencia, Ley No. 1680, Libro I, De los Derechos y Deberes, Titulo Unico, Capitulo II, De la Prevención a las Transgresiones a los Derechos y de las Medidas de Protección al Niño o Adolescente, Articulo 31, De la Prohibición de Utilizar al Niño o Adolescente en el Comercio Sexual.

[2008] The Penal Code calls for a jail sentence of up to 10 years. Codigo Penal, Ley No. 1160, Libro Segundo, Titulo I, Capitulo 4, Articulo 125, Extrañamiento de Personas, Articulo 139, Proxenetismo, at http://www.itacom.com.py/ministerio_publico/codigo_penal/libro2_titulo1_capitulo4.html on 11/5/01.

[2009] Country Reports 2000 at Section 6d.

[2010] ILO, ILOLEX database: Paraguay at http://ilolex.ilo.ch:1567/scripts/ratifce.pl?c182.