VZCZCXRO2764
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHDJ #0072/01 0320822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010821Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1315
INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000072 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AF/E 
G/TIP 
AND DRL/ILCSR 
DOL FOR DOL/ILAB L. STROTKAMP 
¶R. RIGBY 
¶T. MCCARTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI DJ
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR INFORMATION 
 
REF: 10 STATE 12958; 08 DJIBOUTI 470 
 
¶1. (U) This message contains Post's responses to Ref A taskers one 
and two. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
TASK ONE: FORCED OR EXPLOITATIVE CHILD 
LABOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Post has no/no evidence that goods originating in Djibouti are 
produced using exploitative child labor or forced labor (Ref B). 
Djibouti's economy very largely depends on its port and spin-off 
service industries.  With the exception of traditional nomadic 
pastoralism, agricultural activities are confined largely to 
small-scale market gardening, and the manufacturing sector is 
extremely limited. 
 
------------------------------------ 
TASK TWO: WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF EXPLOITATIVE CHILD 
LABOR (2A): 
 
--OVERVIEW: Child labor in Djibouti is largely limited to informal 
sector activities, including street vending, work in family-owned 
businesses, and begging.  An unknown number of minors are employed in 
homes as domestic servants.  A small number of children, especially 
street children, are involved in child prostitution, sometimes but 
not always with the involvement of a third party.  In the rural areas 
of Djibouti, child labor is largely confined to children caring for 
their families' animals.  With important exceptions for child 
prostitution and a few other sectors, the majority of cases of child 
labor practiced in Djibouti do not/not meet the definition of worst 
forms of child labor or exploitative child labor. 
 
--RURAL AREAS: Outside of Djibouti City, children often herd and care 
for family livestock.  Agriculture in Djibouti is largely limited to 
nomadic pastoralism, and there is no significant manufacturing 
sector. 
 
--URBAN AREAS: In urban areas of Djibouti, children work in a variety 
of informal sector activities such as shining shoes, guarding and 
washing cars, cleaning storefronts, sorting merchandise, selling 
various items, and changing money.  Children work day and night in 
family-owned businesses such as restaurants and small shops.  Some 
children work as domestic servants in homes, and others are involved 
in begging.  Many working children are displaced from neighboring 
countries such as Ethiopia and Somalia, and some live on the streets. 
 While no good data exists, anecdotal evidence suggests that children 
of migrants or refugees are much more likely than children of 
Djiboutian nationality to become involved in domestic service, 
begging, and/or child prostitution.  Children are also involved in 
the sale of the legal narcotic khat, usually as part of a family 
distribution business. 
 
--WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR/EXPLOITATIVE CHILD LABOR: Large numbers 
of voluntary economic migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia pass 
illegally through Djibouti en route to the Middle East; among this 
group, a small number of women and girls fall victim to domestic 
servitude or commercial sexual exploitation after reaching Djibouti 
City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor.  A small number of 
girls from impoverished Djiboutian families may also be exploited in 
prostitution as a means of income.  There were credible reports of 
child prostitution on the streets and in brothels despite ongoing 
GODJ efforts to stop it, including keeping children at risk off the 
streets and warning businesses against permitting children to enter 
bars and clubs.  Children are also involved in begging on the 
streets, and in the sale of the legal narcotic khat.  Child begging 
occurs both among unaccompanied street children (sometimes working in 
groups), and among family groups with accompanying children. 
 
¶4. (U) LAWS AND REGULATIONS (2B): 
 
--ADEEQUACY OF FRAMEWORK AND RECENT CHANGES: Djibouti's legal 
framework is generally adequate in outlawing child labor (including 
exploitative child labor), and in punishing violations of child labor 
laws.  Full enforcement of existing legislation remains the major 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000072  002 OF 003 
 
 
challenge.  There were no significant changes to the child labor laws 
in Djibouti during 2009. 
 
--CHILD LABOR PROVISIONS: The minimum age for employment and 
apprenticeships in Djibouti is 16 years.  Young persons 16 to 18 
years may not be employed as domestic servants or in hotels and bars. 
 Young persons must receive the same payment as adults for similar 
work.  The Labor Inspectorate can require a medical exam to verify if 
the work is beyond the capabilities of the young person.  Penalties 
for non-compliance with the provisions regarding equal pay and 
medical exams are punishable by fines.  Night work is explicitly 
forbidden for individuals younger than 18 years, with penalties for 
non-compliance that include fines and, on the second infraction, 15 
days of imprisonment. 
 
--FORCED LABOR AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS PROVISIONS: The law 
prohibits forced and bonded labor.  The law also prohibits the 
procurement of prostitution, with punishments including a fine and up 
to 10 years of imprisonment when a minor is involved.  Increased 
penalties also apply if coercion is used or in cases involving the 
trafficking of persons outside or into the country.  The law also 
provides for penalties against the use of children in pornography and 
in the trafficking of drugs.  In December 2007, the President of 
Djibouti signed a new comprehensive anti-trafficking law.  Law 210 
"Regarding the Fight Against Human Trafficking" covers both internal 
and transnational trafficking and prohibits all forms of trafficking 
in persons.  It protects victims regardless of ethnicity, gender, or 
nationality, and prescribes penalties of up to 30 years' imprisonment 
for traffickers. 
 
5.(U) INSTITUTIONS AND MECHANISMS FOR ENFORCEMENT -- HAZARDOUS CHILD 
LABOR AND FORCED CHILD LABOR (2C, SECTION I and II): 
 
--The authority to enforce child labor laws and regulations rests 
with the Labor Inspectorate (under the Ministry of Labor), as well as 
with the Police Vice Squad (Brigade des Moeurs) and other law 
enforcement officials (local police and gendarmerie).  The Labor 
Inspectorate has the authority to sanction businesses that employ 
children.  In 2009, the Labor Inspectorate had one inspector and six 
controllers; the total staff including support personnel was nine. 
While some inspectors had received specialized training, additional 
training and continuing professional development was an ongoing need. 
 Child labor inspections are normally conducted during the course of 
regular preventative inspections, or if a problem is reported. 
However, in practice the Labor Inspectorate did not have sufficient 
resources--including vehicles--to conduct regular preventive 
inspections, or to follow up on the enforcement of previous cases. 
No child labor inspections occurred in 2009, nor were any complaints 
regarding child labor brought to the attention of the Labor 
Inspectorate. 
 
¶6. (SBU) INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT - CHILD 
TRAFFICKING, COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN, AND USE OF 
CHILDREN IN ILLICIT ACTIVITIES (2D, SECTION I, II AND III): 
 
--The Police Vice Squad has reportedly warned bar and club owners not 
to permit minors on the premises.  In a June 2009 report, the police 
noted that 51 minors were apprehended on suspicion of prostitution 
during 2008.  In addition to combating child prostitution, the Police 
Vice Squad is responsible for many other areas of law enforcement 
(i.e., control of the sale of alcoholic beverages) and may not have 
sufficient trained personnel or resources to effectively identify all 
children who are victims of trafficking or commercial sexual 
exploitation.  While police generally provided basic services such as 
medical care to such victims, very few protective or rehabilitative 
services are available in Djibouti, and almost no non-governmental 
organizations are active in this area. 
 
--The government made efforts to combat child sexual abuse; for 
example by issuing international arrest warrants for five French 
nationals on allegations of child sexual abuse in 2008. 
 
--There was no hotline for reporting trafficking or other forms of 
child exploitation in Djibouti.  However, the National Union of 
Djiboutian Women, under the patronage of the First Lady, ran a 
drop-in counseling center which helped women, children, and men with 
a wide variety of issues, including domestic violence, rape, and 
other problems. 
 
¶7. (U) GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON CHILD LABOR, SOCIAL PROGRAMS TO 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000072  003 OF 003 
 
 
ELIMINATE OR PREVENT CHILD LABOR, AND CONTINUAL PROGRESS (2E, 2F, AND 
2G): 
 
--Increasing school attendance--including moving children from the 
workplace to the school desk--has remained a top priority for the 
GODJ.  The GODJ currently devotes a quarter of its national budget to 
education, with a particular focus on primary education, and has 
asked international donors to channel assistance to the education 
sector.  Gross enrollment rates increased from 49 percent in 2003 to 
67 percent in 2009.  Girls' enrollment rates have especially 
increased: whereas in 2003 there were only 75 girls enrolled in 
school for every 100 boys, in 2009 46 percent of schoolchildren were 
female. 
 
--To better address trafficking in persons, child trafficking, and 
other migration-related issues, the GODJ invited the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) to set up a new office in Djibouti 
in 2009.  The GODJ continues to work with IOM on billboard, 
television, and radio campaigns to warn migrants of the dangers of 
irregular migration, including the risk of becoming a victim of 
trafficking. 
 
--The GODJ continues to work with UNICEF on programming that assists 
orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), who may be especially at risk 
to become victims of child labor, exploitation, or child trafficking. 
 A pilot program running through 2009 provided 700 OVCs with 
education and professional training, nutritional support, and other 
assistance. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT.  Djibouti's legal framework adequately prohibits 
and punishes exploitative child labor.  However, identification and 
rehabilitation of victims remains a challenge.  Absent significant 
manufacturing or agricultural sectors in-country, there is no/no 
evidence that exploitative child labor is used in the production of 
goods.  However, the Labor Inspectorate's almost total lack of 
resources to conduct most kinds of workplace inspections made it 
unlikely that authorities would find, correct, or punish 
other--perhaps less flagrant--violations of child labor laws, for 
example minors working prohibited hours for small, informal 
businesses.  In the sectors where the worst forms of child labor 
likely exist in Djibouti--child prostitution, begging, and perhaps 
domestic service---very little quantitative or qualitative data 
exists on the scope of the problem.  The GODJ made good faith efforts 
to fight child prostitution and other forms of child exploitation. 
However, competing priorities--such as high child malnutrition rates, 
ongoing food insecurity, and sixty percent unemployment--meant that 
resource constraints remained a problem.  While the GODJ was open to 
collaboration with non-governmental organizations, very few groups 
focused on the issues of child welfare affecting the most vulnerable 
populations, such as unaccompanied foreign minors who became street 
children.  END COMMENT. 
SWAN