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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRIDGETOWN 002211 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR AND DRL/IL (TU DANG) 
LABOR DEPARTMENT FOR ILAB (TINA MCCARTER) 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI EAID BB XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS:  UPDATE OF WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
INFORMATION 
 
REF: STATE 184972 
 
¶1.  Summary:  While Barbados does not have a comprehensive 
policy or action program on child labor, it does have a solid 
framework of policies in areas connected with child labor, 
including education, child care, welfare, social security, 
and labor administration.  Barbados has only recently begun 
focusing on the issue of child labor, having been jolted into 
action by a 2002 ILO-conducted Rapid Assessment Study, which 
found a small percentage of the children surveyed engaged in 
activities suggestive of child labor and the worst forms of 
child labor.  In seeking to address these issues, Barbados 
has been hampered by a lack of resources and a general 
tendency among Barbadians to avoid tackling sensitive issues 
like child labor or child abuse.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The following answers are keyed to questions concerning 
worst forms of child labor contained in reftel: 
 
A) Laws and regulations proscribing the worst forms of child 
labor. 
 
Barbados has ratified both ILO Conventions 138 and 182. 
While Barbados has not adopted legislation addressing child 
labor per se, the country has in place laws and regulations 
on minimum age, compulsory education, childcare protection, 
social security, and labor administration, as well as the 
criminal code, which outlaws among other things prostitution, 
pornography, and drug trafficking.  A 2005 ILO Review of 
Child Labor Laws of Barbados gave Barbados generally high 
marks for the legislative measures that are in place to 
shield children from child labor and the worst forms of child 
labor.  The ILO Review suggested several legislative and 
regulatory changes, which are currently under review by the 
government of Barbados, according to Shelley Carrington, the 
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and 
Social Security. 
 
Most significantly, Barbados currently lacks a list of 
hazardous occupations or occupations considered to be the 
worst forms of child labor.  In a meeting with LaborOff, 
Carrington stated that the ILO asked Barbados to develop the 
list of hazardous occupations by spring 2007, but Carrington 
acknowledged that her Ministry has made little headway on 
this priority project.  She said that she plans to ask the 
ILO for a sample list and guidance on whether the list must 
be adopted by the government through the legislative process. 
 Barbados is, however, in the process of implementing the 
2005 Law on Occupational Health and Safety, which should fill 
an important gap in Barbados' labor laws.  According to the 
Chief Labour Officer, Edla Lowe, the government expects to 
promulgate most of the regulations related to the 2005 law by 
the end of 2006. 
 
Barbados' minimum age for employment is set at 16, which is 
also the age until which children are required to attend 
school.  In its 2005 Review, the ILO suggested that the 
definition of Barbados' minimum age should apply to all 
sectors of the economy, rather than the much narrower current 
scope of "industrial undertakings and ships" only.  The ILO 
Review also suggested that Barbados' Employment 
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act be amended to clarify and 
narrow its definition of light work. 
 
B) Regulations for implementation and enforcement of 
proscription against the worst forms of child labor. 
 
The government implements and enforces labor laws through the 
Department of Labour in the Ministry of Labour and Social 
Security.  The Department has eight industrial relations 
inspectors and four occupational safety and health 
inspectors.  All of these inspectors received training on 
child labor issues during a November 2005 ILO-sponsored 
workshop.  While the inspectors conduct periodic inspections, 
both announced and unannounced, of Barbadian companies, 
Carrington noted that they have yet to uncover any problems 
with child labor.  According to Carrington, any children 
engaged in illegal work or in the worst forms of child labor 
would do so in the country's informal economy, over which the 
Department of Labour has little oversight.  The Child Care 
Board is charged with investigating all matters concerning 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00002211  002 OF 003 
 
 
the welfare of children and the Royal Barbados Police Force 
would investigate all suspected criminal activities. 
 
According to Carrington, the government has little data on 
the extent of child labor and the worst forms of child labor 
problems in Barbados.  The results of the ILO's 2002 Rapid 
Assessment Study, which found instances suggestive of child 
labor and the worst forms of child labor in Barbados, 
surprised the government, which until then did not focus on 
these issues.  Carrington said that Barbados "woke up" as a 
result of the Rapid Assessment, and the government has begun 
taking measures to address the problems.  The government 
developed a "survey instrument," which was piloted in the 
school system and is now being used by social agencies to 
collect data on potential instances of the worst forms of 
child labor.  The survey has come into use only in October 
2006, and according to Carrington, preliminary results will 
not be available until spring 2007. 
 
While this is a positive first step, Carrington thought that 
uncovering the true extent of the worst forms of child labor 
problem in Barbados would be extremely difficult because the 
government lacks the necessary resources and expertise.  She 
also noted that the problem remains hidden not only because 
it is illegal but also because of Barbadians' general 
tendency to avoid discussing and seeking solutions to 
sensitive problems such as child abuse.  Nevertheless, 
Carrington concluded from the ILO 2002 Rapid Assessment and 
anecdotal evidence that child labor and the worst forms of 
child labor problems were not widespread in Barbados. 
Barbados' growing economy, strong social safety net, and high 
standing in the UN Human Development Index would also suggest 
that Barbadian children would be less likely to resort to or 
be pressured into the worst forms of child labor because of 
poverty.  Representatives of the ILO, Barbadian employers, 
and organized labor agreed with this assessment.  Heather 
Stewart, a UNICEF Project Officer based in Barbados, was more 
cautious, noting that the lack of data should not be 
interpreted as an absence of the problem.  Stewart agreed 
with Carrington's statement that the involvement of children 
in prostitution, pornography, and drug trafficking would 
likely be among Barbados' most serious challenges. 
 
The National Steering Committee on Child Labour, created in 
response to the ILO 2002 Rapid Assessment, has sought to 
raise Barbadians' awareness of child labor issues through 
educational workshops.  These have been targeted at community 
groups, teachers, media, religious organizations, and the 
police.  Furthermore, related issues such as child abuse have 
been receiving increasing attention in the media.  UNICEF, 
which has been focused on the related issue of child abuse, 
has sought to strengthen the region's child abuse reporting 
and analysis of data, as well as to improve the targeting of 
government and other resources. 
 
C) Whether there are social programs to prevent and withdraw 
children from the worst forms of child labor. 
 
Barbados has used education as the primary tool to prevent 
child labor and the worst forms of child labor.  Education is 
compulsory from the age of 5 to 16 years, and it is free 
through the tertiary level.  Attendance at primary and 
secondary schools is monitored by the Ministry of Education's 
Truancy Office, and attendance problems are regularly 
reported to the Child Care Board.  The government has 
announced plans for free pre-school education and hopes to 
double the country's number of university graduates over the 
next 10-15 years.  The government has also established 
vocational and technical training programs. 
 
D) Policies aimed at the elimination of the worst forms of 
child labor. 
 
Barbados does not have a comprehensive policy or national 
program of action on child labor.  Carrington acknowledged 
that this policy gap has hindered her Ministry's efforts to 
focus attention and resources on the problem of child labor. 
Nevertheless, the government has sought to use what 
instruments it does have available to raise awareness of the 
issue.  The Minister of Labour, Rawle Eastmond, has publicly 
spoken out on the issue, as have other government officials. 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00002211  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
E) Progress toward eliminating the worst forms of child labor. 
 
The government of Barbados has made some progress toward 
eliminating the worst forms of child labor.  In response to 
the ILO 2002 Rapid Assessment, the government established the 
National Steering Committee on Child Labour, drawing together 
relevant stakeholders, including social agencies, the 
national HIV commission, police, UNICEF, etc.  The Steering 
Committee and its various subcommittees have met to discuss 
child labor on a number of occasions, but even Carrington 
admitted that more needs to be done to translate these 
discussions into actions.  So far, the educational workshops 
have been the most concrete result of the Steering 
Committee's work. 
 
Some progress is also visible in raising public awareness of 
child labor and the worst forms of child labor.  Sir Roy 
Trotman, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union and 
Worker Vice-Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body, recently 
made a passionate public appeal to Caribbean governments to 
focus on the issue of child labor.  His commitment to this 
issue will help keep the pressure on the Barbadian government 
to continue its efforts to stamp out child labor and its 
worst forms. 
OURISMAN