VZCZCXRO5587
RR RUEHMA
DE RUEHPA #0051/01 0342201
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 032201Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY PRAIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1934
INFO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0016
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHPA/AMEMBASSY PRAIA 2900

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAIA 000051 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER 
DOL/IL FOR TU DANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI CV
SUBJECT: CAPE VERDE REPORTS NO WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
 
REF: STATE 131997 
 
PRAIA 00000051  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Cape Verde has a very low incidence of forced 
and exploitative child labor has no worst forms of child labor. 
Of children who work, most do so to augment their family income. 
 Specifically, many of these children work as street vendors and 
car washers in cities, or assist with harvests in rural areas. 
These tasks are usually done outside school hours.  Forced and 
exploitative child labor is believed to be rare, however the 
tracking and enforcement mechanisms of the Cape Verdean 
government employs in the area are relatively weak and could be 
strengthened.  End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) The following answers are keyed to reftel questions. 
 
 
 
Tasking 1/TVPRA: Use of Forced Labor and/or Exploitive Child 
Labor in the Production of Goods 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
 
 
Cape Verde does not use forced labor and exploitative child 
labor in the production of goods. 
 
 
 
 
 
Tasking 2/TDA: Exploitive Child Labor for Countries Eligible for 
Trade Benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
 
 
2A) PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF EXPLOITIVE CHILD 
LABOR: 
 
¶1. Children were involved in domestic service, street vending, 
and car washing.  Children help their parents earn a living, 
especially in single-parent and low income families. 
 
¶2. The government is willing to provide the data set to DOL for 
further analysis. 
 
2 B) LAWS AND REGULATIONS: 
¶1. No new laws or regulations were enacted in regard to 
exploitive child labor. Children continued to work as street 
vendors and car washers but mostly as a means to help their 
families. 
 
2 C) INSTITUTIONS AND MECHANISMS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF HAZARDOUS 
CHILD LABOR AND FORCED CHILD LABOR: (Note: the answers for Qh 
sections are the same.  End note.) 
 
¶1. The agencies responsible for the enforcement of laws relating 
to hazardous child labor and forced child labor were the 
Ministry of Labor, Professional Training and Social Solidarity, 
the Direction-General of Labor, and the Inspection General of 
Labor. 
 
¶2. The agencies may exchange information through written reports 
and "ad hoc" information.  There have been no reports of 
hazardous child labor. 
 
¶3. Complaints may be filed through written or oral reports. 
There were no complaints received in the reporting period. 
 
¶4. There was no funding provided specifically to agencies 
responsible for inspections.  Inspectors have sufficient office 
facilities, but lack transportation, fuel, and financial means 
to reach all points of the country and train people to carry out 
inspections. 
 
¶5. There are no inspectors specifically to address hazardous 
child and forced child labor issues. 
 
¶6. No inspections involving child labor were carried out, since 
there were no reported hazardous child labor cases. Children do 
not work in formal sectors which are regularly inspected, but 
mainly on the streets as car washers and street vendors. 
Inspectors have reported no cases of hazardous child labor and 
received no complaints of hazardous child labor. 
 
PRAIA 00000051  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
2C, Sections I and II, Questions 7 through 13: Hazardous child 
labor and forced child labor 
N/A 
 
¶14. The government did not offer any training for investigators 
or others responsible for enforcement. 
 
2D) INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD 
TRAFFICKING, COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (CSE) OF CHILDREN, 
USE OF CHILDREN IN ILLICIT ACTIVITIES: (Note: the answers are 
the same for all three areas.  End note.) 
 
¶1. The country did not have agencies or personnel dedicated to 
enforcement of child trafficking of children in illicit 
activities. The government employed no investigators/social 
workers/dedicated police officers to conduct investigations. 
 
¶2. No funding was provided to agencies responsible for 
investigating child trafficking of children in illicit 
activities. 
 
¶3. The country maintained a victims' hotline for reporting child 
trafficking, CSE and in illicit activities violations.  No 
complaints were received. 
 
¶4. No investigations were opened since there were no child 
trafficking/CSE/use of children in illicit activities cases. 
 
Questions 5 through 11:N/A 
 
¶12. No, the government offered no training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement of child trafficking. 
 
¶13. N/A 
 
2E) GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON CHILD LABOR: 
 
¶1. No, this is not viewed as a significant issue, so the 
government did not have a policy or plan that specifically 
addressed exploitive child labor. 
 
¶2. The country did not incorporate exploitive child labor 
specifically as an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, 
development, educational or other social policies.  However, all 
programs that fight poverty contribute indirectly to enabling 
children to leave work and enter school.  For example, the 
Institute of Children and Adolescents (ICCA) has shelter for 
homeless and/or abandoned children to prevent them from staying 
on the streets, thus decreasing child labor.  Another important 
public policy element is that primary education is compulsory 
and free nationwide. 
 
 
 
¶3. The government did not provide funding specifically for child 
labor. 
 
¶4. N/A 
 
¶5. The Association for the Children in Need (ACRIDES) has a 
program in partnership with public and private entities, under 
which hot meals are provided to street kids, and has a shelter 
that provides after-school education programs.  ACRIDES also has 
a program focused on children in conflict with the law that 
brings them out of the unofficial work-force. 
 
¶6. No information available. 
 
¶7. No, the government did not sign bilateral, regional or 
international agreement to combat trafficking. 
 
2F) SOCIAL PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE OR PREVENT CHILD LABOR: 
 
¶1. As child labor is not viewed as a significant issue, the 
government did not implement any programs specifically to 
address the worst forms of child labor. 
 
¶2. The country did not incorporate child labor specifically as 
an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, development, 
educational or other social programs, such as conditional cash 
transfer programs or eligibility for school meals, etc. 
 
¶3. N/A 
 
¶4. The government did not provide any non-monetary support to 
child labor programs, as child labor is not viewed as a 
 
PRAIA 00000051  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
significant issue in the country. 
 
¶5. N/A 
 
¶6. N/A 
 
2G) CONTINUAL PROGRESS: 
 
 
¶1. There are no official statistics available for 2009, yet. 
However, during the reporting period, the government of Cape 
Verde found that no worst forms of child labor existed; 
therefore the government has developed no specific policy or 
program to combat exploitive child labor.  However, through ICCA 
and with the support of NGOs such as ACRIDES, it indirectly 
contributed to preventing exploitative child labor situations. 
Following the 2006 Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries 
(CPLP) meeting in Lisbon, where it was agreed that Cape Verde 
would join other member states in an attempt to combat child 
labor, the government agreed to follow the recommendations of 
the CPLP.  ICCA carried out a study on the worst forms of child 
labor at the government's request, which was broadcast on the 
government-owned TV station and given media coverage.  During 
the year, ICCA reported that there were no worst forms of child 
labor, as defined by the ILO 182 Convention. 
MYLES