VZCZCXRO5571
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHPO #0629 3401824
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061824Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 1215
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0078
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9850

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/CAR FOR JROSHOLT, DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER, DRL/IL 
FOR TU DANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI USAID NS
SUBJECT: UPDATE OF WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR INFORMATION 
IN SURINAME FOR MANDATORY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 
 
REF: STATE 149662 
 
¶1. (U) In response to reftel Post provides the following 
updated information on Suriname's commitment to eliminate the 
worst forms of child labor. 
 
¶A. (U) Suriname has ratified ILO Convention 182 regarding the 
worst forms of child labor.  ILO Convention 138, the Minimum 
Age Convention, is, however, still awaiting ratification.  In 
Suriname there is a discrepancy between the minimum age for 
labor, which is 14 years, and the compulsory education age, 
which is 12 years.  Convention 138 can only be ratified if 
the compulsory education age is pulled up to at least 15 
years to conform to the ILO norm.  The Ministry of Education 
is currently working on plans to revamp the educational 
system, which would likely address this inconsistency. 
 
The country's labor laws do not define the worst forms of 
child labor or hazardous work.  In January 2007, the 
Government installed a working group dealing with Child 
Labor, consisting of officials from the Ministries of Labor, 
Social Affairs, and Education, and representatives from the 
labor unions, the private sector, and NGOs.  The objective of 
this working group is to establish a National Commission on 
child labor, as provided for in Article 4 of Convention 182. 
Once established, the national commission will advise the 
Government on the issue of child labor, review the labor 
legislation, make suggestions for change, and develop a list 
of occupations considered to 
be the worst forms of child labor. 
 
¶B. (U) The Ministry of Labor's Department of Labor 
Inspection, with approximately 40 inspectors, has 
responsibility to implement and enforce labor laws, including 
those pertaining to the worst forms of child labor.  There is 
no information available regarding the number of child labor 
investigations that were conducted over the past year. 
 
Officials at the Ministry of Labor are in close consultation 
with the International Labor Organization (ILO).  In March of 
2007, representatives from Suriname attended a training in 
Jamaica dealing with the reporting requirements of ILO 
Conventions 182 and 138. 
 
¶C. (U) The government has not developed social programs to 
prevent and withdraw children from the worst forms of child 
labor. 
 
The Government provides support to vocational programs for 
dropouts and older children that can serve as an alternative 
to work. 
 
Schooling is compulsory until 12 years of age, although some 
school-age children, particularly in the interior, did not 
have access to education to lack of transportation, building 
facilities, or teachers.  School attendance was free through 
the university level; however, most public schools imposed a 
nominal enrollment fee, ranging from $9 to $48 (SRD 25 to SRD 
135) per year to cover costs.  The short school day (most 
schools end at 1:00 p.m. or earlier) does not discourage 
child labor, but there is no information which would indicate 
any direct correlation to child labor. 
 
¶D. (U) The country does not have a comprehensive policy or 
national program of action on child labor.  The Ministries of 
labor and Social Affairs have incorporated points of action 
with regard to child labor in their respective policies. 
Government officials have on numerous occasions stressed the 
importance of combating child labor. 
 
Suriname is making limited progress in dealing with child 
labor.  There is a lack of statistical data regarding the 
labor environment and more specifically the child labor 
situation in Suriname.  There are, however, indications that 
there are cases of child labor in Paramaribo and in the 
Western District of Nickerie, and that children are put to 
work in the gold mining sector, in sawmills, and in the 
commercial sex industry.  Government action to combat child 
labor needs to be expanded beyond urban areas, and the 
necessary resources will have to be allocated to investigate 
child labor cases in the country's districts and in the 
hinterland.  The country will also have to ratify the ILO 
Convention 138. 
 
GENTON