2002 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - São Tomé and Principe
| Publisher | United States Department of Labor |
| Author | Bureau of International Labor Affairs |
| Publication Date | 18 April 2003 |
| Cite as | United States Department of Labor, 2002 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - São Tomé and Principe, 18 April 2003, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48d748ab32.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
The Government of São Tomé and Principe is working with the IMF and the World Bank to introduce equality of access in the educational system and to improve the quality of education.3142 Some of the ways in which the government plans to carry out its goals are encouraging enrollment for all children (particularly girls and children in disadvantaged areas); reducing repetition and dropout rates at the primary level; renovating existing schools and constructing new ones; encouraging community participation; providing teacher training for primary and secondary teachers; and strengthening institutional and managerial capacities in the field of education.3143 The Government of São Tomé and Principe is also working under UNESCO's Education for All Initiative to strengthen its teacher-training program.3144
The World Food Programme began a four-year program in 2000 to provide a mid-day meal to over 30,000 children in primary schools and kindergartens to alleviate short-term hunger and maintain attendance rates.3145 In conjunction with the government, UNICEF is implementing an education program that focuses on the improvement of education quality in general, and more specifically, increasing primary school access for children up to the sixth grade.3146 UNICEF also carried out an initial rapid assessment on working children in A. Grande and Caue.3147 Funds from the Portuguese Government are supporting a school-mapping program.3148
Incidence and Nature of Child Labor
In 2000, UNICEF estimated that 2 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years in São Tomé and Principe were working as paid laborers, and another 6 percent participate in unremunerated work outside of the household.3149 Five percent of children within this age group carry out domestic tasks such as cooking, collecting water and watching other children for more than four hours per day.3150 Sometimes from an early age, children reportedly work in subsistence agriculture, on plantations, and in informal commerce.3151 About 10 percent of children ages 5 to 14 work for their families in the streets, participate in agricultural labor on commercial farms or engage in activities in the informal sector. This percentage is highest in Principe (18 percent) and in the north (15 percent).3152 Many children work in the absence of available education beyond the fourth grade.3153 There is little information about the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the country, but the government reportedly expects that, with the increase in tourism, the establishment of tax-free zones, oil exploration and increased migration to São Tomé, children are at risk of such exploitation.3154
Education is free and universal through the age of 14 and compulsory through the sixth grade; education after the sixth grade or after the age of 14 is not free.3155 In 1999, the gross primary enrollment rate was 70 percent. Children in primary schools had a repetition rate of 31 percent3156 and a drop-out rate of 34 percent.3157
Although the triple shift system designates four hours for class time, shifts last between two and three hours.3158 In addition, the proportion of qualified primary school teachers is declining.3159
The educational system has a shortage of classrooms, insufficiently trained and underpaid teachers, inadequate textbooks and materials, high rates of repetition, poor educational planning and management, and a lack of community involvement in school management.3160 There is also a lack of inter-agency coordination3161 and domestic financing for the school system, leaving the system highly dependent on foreign financing.3162
Child Labor Laws and Enforcement
The minimum age for admission to employment as established by national legislation is 16 years.3163 The Ministry of Justice and Labor is responsible for enforcing labor laws.3164 The Penal Code addresses the commercial sexual exploitation of children although there have been few prosecutions.3165 Forced and bonded labor, including by children, is prohibited and not known to exist.3166
The Government of São Tomé and Principe has not ratified either ILO Convention 138 or ILO Convention 182.3167
3142 The government intends to increase the gross primary school enrollment rate from 70 percent in 1999 to 90 percent by 2002, with a longer-term goal of achieving universal enrollment by 2005. World Bank, Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for 2000-02, prepared by São Tomé and Principe Authorities, April 6, 2000, para. 35 [cited November 13, 2002]; available from http://poverty.worldbank.org/files/sao%20tome%20principe%20iprsp.pdf.
3143 The government also plans to develop technical and vocational training and promoting apprenticeship training. A more complete listing of government efforts can be found at Ibid., para. 36-37.
3144 UNESCO, Education for All 2000 Assessment: Country Reports: São Tomé and Principe, prepared by Ministry of Education and Culture, pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 52/84, 2000, Part II, Analytical Section, 8 [cited October 25, 2002]; available from http://www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/saotome_principe/contents.html.
3145 World Food Programme, Projected 2002 Needs for WFP Projects and Operations: Country Brief: São Tomé and Príncipe, 2002, [cited October 10, 2002]; available from http://www.wfp.org/countrybrief/ indexcountry.asp?country=79#.
3146 UNICEF, Education Programme, 2000, [cited September 4, 2002]; available from http://www.unicef.org/saotome/ educatio.htm.
3147 UNICEF, UNICEF Publications in São Tomé and Príncipe, 2000 [cited September 4, 2002]; available from http://www.unicef.org/saotome/publicati.htm.
3148 Also called "Carta Escolar." See World Bank, São Tomé and Principe- Social Sector Support Project, no. PID11127, Washington, D.C., 2002 2002, 2 [cited September 4, 2002]; available from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/ servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2002/04/19//000094946_02041804135555/Rendered/PDF/multi0page.pdf.
3149 Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, Enquête de grappes à indicateurs multiples MICS: Rapport d'analyse, UNICEF, July 14, 2000, 9.
3150 Ibid.
3151 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2001: São Tomé and Principe, Washington, D.C., March 4, 2002, 553-54, Section 6d [cited August 30, 2002]; available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2001/af/8399.htm.
3152 Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, Enquête de grappes à indicateurs multiples MICS, 9.
3153 UNICEF, Education Programme.
3154 ECPAT International, São Tomé and Principe, in ECPAT International, [database online] 2002 [cited August 30, 2002]; available from http://www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp.
3155 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2001: São Tomé and Principe, 553-54, Section 6.
3156 International Monetary Fund and International Development Association, São Tomé and Principe: Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative- Decision Point Document, December 5, 2000, 11 [cited August 30, 2002]; available from http://www.imf.org/external/np/hipc/2000/stp/stpdp.pdf. Access to the first year of school is universal, and 78 percent of children who enter first grade reach the fourth grade. However, only 52 percent reach the eighth grade. See also World Bank, São Tomé and Principe- Social Sector Support, 2.
3157 International Monetary Fund and International Development Association, São Tomé and Principe: Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, 13.
3149 3158 Ibid. See also World Bank, São Tomé and Principe- Social Sector Support, 12.
3159 From 48.8 percent in 1999-2000 to 44.7 percent in 2000-2001. International Monetary Fund and International Development Association, São Tomé and Principe: Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries.
3160 United Nations House, São Tomé and Principe: Common Country Assessment, [cited September 4, 2002], 3; available from http://www.uns.st/uns/Summary.html.
3161 UNESCO, EFA 2000 Report: São Tomé and Principe, 10, 19.
3162 Ibid.
3163 The minimum age does not apply to family-owned or operated enterprises, home work, domestic services, self-employed work, family-owned or small-scale farms, and light work. It does apply to such areas as commercial agriculture and export processing zones. ILO, Review of Annual Reports under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Geneva, March 2002, Part II. For legislation on working minors, See also Government of São Tomé and Principe, Ley Núm. 6/92, por la que se establece el regimen jurídico de las condiciones individuales de trabajo, [cited October 10, 2002]; available from http://natlex.ilo.org/scripts/natlexcgi.exe?lang=E.
3164 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2001: São Tomé and Principe, 553-54, Section 6d.
3165 ECPAT International, São Tomé and Principe.
3166 U.S. Department of State, Country Reports – 2001: São Tomé and Principe, 553-54, Section 6.
3167 ILO, Ratifications by Country, in ILOLEX, [database online], [cited December 18, 2002]; available from http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/newratframeE.htm.
