VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSN #0699/01 1642205
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 122205Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9624
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000699 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DOL/ILAB RACHEL RIGBY, DRL/ILSCR MARK 
MITTELHAUSER, AND G/TIP FOR STEVE STEINER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI ES
SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: REPORT ON FORCED AND CHILD LABOR IN 
THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS 
 
REF: A. STATE 43120 
     ¶B. SAN SALVADOR 0253 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  This cable is in response to the Department 
of Labor request for information regarding the use of forced 
labor and exploitative child labor in the production of goods 
in El Salvador as mandated by the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (ref A).  Post notes 
that the list of goods provided in this cable is not/not 
indicative of the level of forced labor or exploitative child 
labor in El Salvador as the instructions exclude labor that 
occurs in the service industry. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Post reports that the following goods, listed in 
paragraph 3, are alleged to be produced with exploitative 
child or forced labor.  There are no exact figures of the 
scope and extent of child labor in El Salvador.  The most 
recent comprehensive and reliable data regarding child labor 
was published in a 2004 ILO report, Understanding Children,s 
Work in El Salvador. In 2007, the ILO published additional 
information regarding child labor in the fishing and sugar 
industries. There are no final reports on goods produced by 
forced labor and post was unable to find an NGO that could 
provide detailed information on the incidence of forced labor 
in El Salvador. The information in this cable is based on 
information provided by employers, employees, the ILO, the 
United Nations Children,s Fund (UNICEF), NGOs, press 
reports, and LabOff,s site visits. 
 
3.(U) The following are goods alleged to be produced with 
exploitative child labor or forced labor: 
 
------ 
Coffee 
------ 
 
Although the Government of El Salvador (GOES) has not 
classified coffee production as one of the worst forms of 
child labor, children are used extensively in the harvesting 
of coffee.  According to credible sources, the harvesting 
process is often conducted under dangerous and physically 
difficult circumstances and often prevents children from 
attending school. 
 
During trips to the western zone of the country, and to a 
coffee plantation located near the capital of San Salvador 
(ref B), LabOff observed children of all ages employed during 
the coffee harvest.  Much of the work involved children under 
15, and several who appeared to be under the age of 10, 
working on steep, treacherous mountainsides harvesting coffee 
beans.  Other children were observed carrying large, heavy 
bags of harvested coffee.  While most plantations claim to 
restrict child labor to the less dangerous and less strenuous 
aspects of the harvest, these rules appear to be rarely 
enforced. 
 
Employers and employees from the Ahuachapan Department, 
located in the western zone of El Salvador, as well as the 
ILO, have confirmed that children participate in the coffee 
harvest.  Other credible sources acknowledge that although 
the employment of children under age 12 is illegal, many of 
the children participating in the harvest are less than ten 
years old.  Typically the harvest begins at 5:30 AM and ends 
by 3:00 PM; however, workers at many plantations work 
additional hours because they are paid by the &arroba8, a 
25 pound bag.  Children typically work alongside their family 
members and will often work the same hours.  According to 
government sources, all workers, particularly children, also 
are subject to health risks due to the pesticides used at 
many plantations. 
 
From January to April 2008, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) 
reported conducting 134 scheduled inspections and 39 
unscheduled inspections of coffee plantations. (Note: These 
inspections are not specifically focused on child labor.  End 
note.) None of the employers visited by LabOff reported any 
inspections for over a year. 
 
----- 
Sugar 
----- 
 
The GOES has classified the harvesting of sugar as one of the 
worst forms of child labor, and according to credible sources 
children frequently participate in the sugar harvest, called 
the &zafra8.  According to these reports, children 
participating in the zafra suffer from cuts caused by sharp 
tools (often machetes), arthritis, back pain, allergies, cold 
 
and flu-type illnesses, asthma, and other injuries.  Most 
sugar is cultivated in the departments of Sonsonate, La 
Libertad, San Salvador, La Paz, San Vicente, Usulutan, San 
Miguel, and Ahuachapan.  Children who work in the department 
of San Miguel will often ride public transportation to the 
sugar plantations as early as 5 AM. (Note: Public 
transportation, typically buses, is quite dangerous in El 
Salvador, especially in the rural areas, at any time of day. 
End note.) Also, the money earned by children, particularly 
those less than 12 years old, is frequently given to the 
parents. Many children never see the money they earn. 
 
In November 2007, Marketing Week published allegations that a 
multinational company beverage company was involved with 
Salvadoran sugar producers who were using child labor.  In 
May 2005, the Labor Study Center (CENTRA) and the 
International Labor Rights Fund published a report that 
corroborated reports of children as young as ten years old 
working on sugar plantations.  The report was based on 
surveys with 524 sugarcane harvesters, 110 refinery workers, 
and 60 drivers who transport sugarcane.  The report also said 
that 37 percent of male workers reported receiving help from 
children, while 55 percent of women reported receiving help 
from children. 
 
In 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on the 
use of child labor on sugarcane plantations.  It reported 
that many children suffered from injuries from machetes and 
other sharp tools, and that one child lost a part of his 
finger due to an accident.  The HRW also reported that 
medical treatment is often unavailable on plantations and 
that when they do receive medical treatment, the children, or 
their parents when available, are required to pay. 
 
In 2004, an article by the Washington Post, &El Salvador 
Scarred by Child Labor,8 reported on the use of child labor 
in the sugar industry and detailed the injuries of a 14 year 
old boy with numerous machete scars. 
 
From January to April 2008, the Ministry of Labor reports 
conducting 265 scheduled inspections of sugar cane 
plantations. 
 
The Sugar Producers Foundation (FUNDAZUCAR) conducts programs 
to combat child labor in three departments of El Salvador. 
FUNDAZUCAR, in conjunction with the ILO, conducts a program 
to counter child labor in three municipalities of San Miguel: 
El Transito, Concepcion Batres, and San Miguel.  This program 
is scheduled to end in September 2008.  The second program, 
conducted with the support of the Inter-American Development 
Bank, is in Usulutan and is designed to promote employment 
alternatives for children who leave the sugarcane 
plantations.  The third program is being implemented with 
funds from the Coca-Cola Company and promotes crop 
diversification and new agricultural techniques.  This 
program is scheduled to end in June 2008. 
 
For the 2007-08 harvest, FUNDAZUCAR, implemented a new 
requirement that prohibits its associates from purchasing 
sugar from cooperatives that have been cited by the MOL for 
child labor violations.  According to FUNDAZUCAR, the 
cooperative with the most violations for child labor is 
called &Barra Ciega8 and no sugar from this producer was 
purchased by FUNDAZUCAR. 
 
------------------------------ 
Fishing and Mollusk Extraction 
------------------------------ 
 
The GOES has classified fishing and mollusk extraction as one 
of the worst forms of child labor.  The ILO has identified 
five areas in which child labor is used in the fishing and 
mollusk industries: Mendez Island and Corral de Mulas I and 
II located in Puerto El Triunfo, the department of Usulutan, 
the port of Acajutla located in the department of Sonsonate, 
and the community of Coyolito located in the Department of 
Chalatenango. 
 
Credible sources report that children as young as seven years 
old are employed in these industries and perform such tasks 
as moving gasoline tanks, installing nets, extracting and 
collecting fish from the nets, and selecting and processing 
the fish (which involves the use of knives).  Children who 
collect mollusks do so by wading in mosquito-infested swamps. 
 Credible sources also report that many children smoke 
constantly while working in order to repel mosquitoes. 
 
According to GOES sources, children employed in the fishing 
 
and mollusk industries can suffer from respiratory problems, 
(including asthma), mycosis, vision and hearing impairment 
(due to frequent immersion in polluted water), hyperactivity 
(the effect of constant exposure to tobacco), and skin 
infections. 
 
From January through April 2008 the Ministry of Labor 
reported conducting one scheduled inspection and one 
unscheduled inspection of fishing/mollusk employers. 
 
-------- 
Charcoal 
-------- 
 
Although there have been some reports of children involved in 
the production of charcoal in El Salvador, post has been 
unable to corroborate these reports. 
 
--------- 
Fireworks 
--------- 
 
The GOES has classified the production of fireworks as one of 
the worst forms of child labor due to the use of gunpowder 
and other explosive materials.  Sources report that children 
continue to be used in the production of fireworks and a 2003 
press report claimed that factories which produce fireworks 
do not follow safety protocols and use child labor 
extensively. 
 
A government official said that burns and amputated 
appendages are the most frequent injuries sustained by 
children working in the production of fireworks. 
 
From January to April 2008, the MOL reported conducting one 
scheduled inspection of a fireworks factory. 
 
-------- 
Garments 
-------- 
 
Sources have reported allegations of exploitative child labor 
and forced labor in some maquilas (garment factories). In May 
2008, sources reported that child labor was being used at a 
Korean operated maquila in the Olocuilta Free Trade zone. 
There were also allegations of compulsory overtime that 
exceeded the maximum normal workweek allowed by law.  In 
February 2008, the Office of the Attorney General reported an 
ongoing investigation regarding the possible trafficking of 
persons for maquila labor. 
 
Post was unable to obtain additional information about 
instances of child and forced labor in maquilas and the MOL 
did not provide any information regarding inspections of 
maquilas. 
 
--------------------------- 
Other Agricultural Products 
--------------------------- 
 
Post has also heard rumors of trafficking of agricultural 
workers along the Honduran border, but has been unable to 
corroborate these reports.  The GOES has been unable to offer 
any information regarding these rumors and Post was unable to 
find NGOs or other groups which were in a position to 
document forced labor and trafficking in this region. 
 
¶4.  In its efforts to combat child labor in El Salvador, the 
ILO has focused on strengthening the role of the MOL,s 
Inspector,s Office.  The GOES has focused its efforts on 
awareness programs which encourage school attendance and 
target children and their families.  When MOL inspectors 
encounter child laborers, the government will remove the 
children and attempt to place them in educational programs. 
Many local experts say that the cultural acceptance of child 
labor is a significant obstacle to these efforts. 
GLAZER