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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAC #0505/01 2051625
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231625Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7096
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000505 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS TO KATHERINE COOK AND RACHEL RIGBY AT DEPARTMENT OF 
LABOR, DRL IZSOLDOS, AND WHA/BSC KBEAMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI PGOV PA
SUBJECT: CHILD AND FORCED LABOR IN GOODS PRODUCTION 
 
REF: STATE 43120 
 
¶1.  (U)  This cable responds to the Department of Labor's 
request for information on the use of forced labor and 
exploitative child labor in the production of Paraguayan 
goods as mandated in the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act (reftel).  Per reftel, this cable focuses 
on labor used to produce goods; it does not focus on the 
children working in forced or exploitative labor conditions 
in the Paraguayan services industry, including street 
children. 
 
-------------- 
GOODS PRODUCED 
-------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Goods produced using forced or exploitative child 
labor are grouped according to whether they are finished 
(processed) or unfinished (unprocessed); types of 
exploitation and working conditions vary according to these 
factors.  In addition, because most cases of forced labor in 
Paraguay involve children, forced labor is referred to as 
"child labor" unless otherwise noted. 
 
-- Finished Goods:  According to International Labor 
Organization (ILO) Director Bernardo Puente and Ministry of 
Justice and Labor (MJT) Director of Interational Norms 
Veronica Lopez, finished goods, including bricks and lime, 
are produced by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of child 
laborers. 
 
-- Unfinished Goods:  Puente and Lopez noted that 
agricultural products grown and harvested using forced and 
exploitative child labor include cotton; sugar cane; corn; 
soy; sesame; wheat; mandioca; and stevia, an artificial 
sweetner.  Child labor is also prevalent in livestock 
raising.  They indicated that child laborers are most 
frequently employed in cotton and sugar cane harvesting. 
 
-- Goods that could merit further research:  Puente and Lopez 
mentioned that other goods produced, including tobacco, 
crafts, garments, unfinished wood and wood products, do not 
typically involve forced or exploitative child labor. 
Children usually work with their families to produce these 
goods.  However, given the widespread use of forced and 
exploitative child labor present in many Paraguayan 
industries, further research is merited regarding child labor 
in these sectors. 
 
--------------------- 
TYPES OF EXPLOITATION 
--------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) Ministry of Justice and Labor International Norms 
Director Veronica Lopez, Prosecutor Teresa Martinez of the 
Public Ministry, and NGO Movement for Paz, Disarmament and 
Liberty (MPDL) Director Eduardo Allende noted the following 
types of exploitation in Paraguayan goods production: 
 
-- Finished Goods:  Children and forced laborers often work 
in unsafe and unsanitary conditions with improper equipment 
and poor ventilation, and in confined spaces with extreme 
temperatures.  Most work is manual and requires repetitive 
movement, and in some cases, heavy lifting.  Workers are 
frequently exposed to harmful chemical substances used to 
process goods, dangerous work processes, and unclean and 
unsafe working environments.  Child laborers are often 
treated as adults, performing strenuous activities and 
working long hours.  Moreover, they often receive inadequate 
job training, and industrial accidents are common.  Many do 
not attend school or attend infrequently. 
 
-- Unfinished Goods:  Children and forced laborers usually 
work in fields performing all aspects of agricultural 
production, particularly harvesting and field burning.  They 
frequently wear inadequate clothing and are exposed to the 
elements for long periods of time.  Many lack the tools they 
need, including gloves and machetes, to plant, cultivate, or 
harvest crops.  Most work is manual and requires repetitive 
movement, and in some cases, heavy lifting.  These laborers 
are frequently exposed to adverse working conditions and 
pesticides (agrotoxins) that negatively impact their health. 
Many do not attend school or attend infrequently.  (NOTE: 
This is particularly true for child laborers engaged in 
cotton production.  The summer cotton growing season overlaps 
with the school year, forcing some child laborers to miss 
school for long periods of time.  END NOTE.) 
 
---------------------- 
SOURCES OF INFORMATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) The following sources of information refer to forced 
labor and exploitative child labor (in chronological order). 
The most relevant sources are highlighted with an asterik (*). 
 
-- Interview with Bernardo Puente, ILO, 2008.* 
 
-- Interview with Veronica Lopez, Ministry of Justice and 
Labor, 2008.* 
 
-- Interview with Teresa Martinez, Public Ministry, 2008.* 
 
-- Interview with Eduardo Allende, MPDL Paraguay, 2008.* 
 
-- Interview with Rosa Otazu, Children and Adolescent's 
Secretariat, 2008. 
 
-- "National Report on Human Development," United Nations 
Development Program, 2008.* 
 
-- "Paraguay:  International Rights of Work," ILO, 2008. 
 
-- "2007 Report on Children and Adolescents," Children and 
Adolescents Secretariat, 2007.* 
 
-- "Human Rights Report," Paraguay Human Rights Coordinator 
(CODEHUPY), 2007. 
 
-- "Human Rights Situation in Paraguay," Committee of 
Churches for Emergency Help (CIPAE), 2007. 
 
-- "The Paraguayan Infant and Adolescent Worker, 2001-04" 
International Labor Organization (ILO), 2007.* 
 
-- "Truths and Challenges of Commercial Sexual Exploitation 
of Infants and Adolescents," ILO, 2007. 
 
-- "Investment in the Family," ILO, 2007. 
 
-- "Demand for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Adolescents: 
 The Case for Paraguay," ILO, 2007. 
 
-- "Report on Civil Society in the Rural Context, 2000-05," 
Tierraviva, 2006. 
 
-- "Consulting Forum:  Making a National Juvenile Law and 
Politic," Paraguay Youth Network, 2006. 
 
-- "Country Programme Document for Paraguay," UN Children's 
Fund (UNICEF), 2006.* 
 
-- "Sexual Commercial Exploitation of Children and 
Adolescents," ILO, 2005. 
 
-- "Income Generation," ILO, 2005. 
 
-- "Application of Legislation in Argentina and Paraguay," 
ILO, 2005. 
 
-- "Prevention and Withdrawal," ILO, 2005. 
 
-- "Paid Domestic Work in Paraguay," ILO, 2005. 
 
-- "Institutional Sensibilitization and Strengthening," ILO, 
¶2005. 
 
-- "Rural Infant Work in Canindeyu, Paraguay," ILO, 2005.* 
 
-- "Scream," ILO, 2002.* 
 
--------- 
NARRATIVE 
--------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Specific information and statistics on forced labor 
or exploitative child labor is scarce in Paraguay.  Some data 
are available through the Director General for Statistics, 
Surveys, and Censuses (DGEEC), the Ministry of Education and 
Culture (MEC), ILO, UNICEF, and NGO studies.  ILO's Puente 
and the MJT's Lopez estimated that thousands of Paraguayan 
children are involved in forced and exploitative labor 
practices.  Many are unpaid or underpaid, lack health 
benefits, and do not attend school.  Although adult forced 
labor likely exists in Paraguay, no information is available. 
 Data available can be corroborated with the DGEEC, MEC, MJT, 
ILO, UNICEF, and local NGOs MPDL, CODEHUPY, and CIPAE.  The 
sources listed above and individuals cited in this cable can 
corroborate the information contained in this cable. 
 
-- Types of work performed:  Most of these laborers perform 
manual and unskilled labor.  See "types of exploitation" 
previously outlined for more information. 
 
-- Working conditions:  Vary by location.  Those involved in 
forced labor or exploitative child labor often work in 
substandard and hazardous working conditions. 
 
-- Age:  Most forced or exploited laborers are between the 
ages of five and 17 years of age. 
 
-- Gender:  More girls are involved in exploitative child 
labor until the age of 12; between the ages of 12 and 17, 
more boys are involved in exploitative child labor.  The 
MPDL's Allende noted that a direct correlation exists between 
the type of good produced and the average age of the child 
laborer.  Girls under age 12 frequently pick cotton, an 
activity best performed with small fingers; brick and lime 
production requires the ability to withstand harsh working 
conditions, and boys over 12 typically work in these 
factories. 
 
-- Ethnic backgrounds of workers:  These workers are 
primarily Paraguayans or Brazilian citizens living in 
Paraguay (Brasiguayos). 
 
-- How they became involved:  Most child laborers work in 
these conditions out of necessity.  Many of their parents are 
unemployed or underemployed, and these parents encourage 
their children to work in order to support the family.  Some 
child laborers work for acquaintances or other family 
members.  In cases where the child laborers are coerced, 
non-remunerated, or trafficked, the parents typically permit 
their children to work or be trafficked in exchange for 
monetary compensation or promises of educational 
opportunities and a better life. 
 
-- Physical and psychological risks:  Numerous, including 
physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, substandard working 
conditions, and threats of violence and death for failure to 
comply with orders.  Children who are victims of forced or 
exploitative labor also face the prospect of alienation from 
their families or local communities after returning home. 
 
-- Debt arrangements:  Some forced labors enter into 
indentured servitude in exchange for passage to another 
country.  Domestically, most child laborers work for little 
or no money, and are often forced to do so by their employers 
or parents. 
 
-- Freedom to leave workplace:  Most child laborers who 
produce goods have limited freedom of movement.  Most remain 
at their place of employment at the urging of their parents 
or through coercion. 
 
-- Regions/locations where they work:  Most of these laborers 
work domestically.  Others emigrate to Argentina, Brazil, 
Spain, and Italy.  In Paraguay, most child labor occurs in 
eastern Paraguay in the construction industry and 
agricultural sector.  ILO's Puente noted that child labor is 
common in small-scale brick and lime factories in Cordillera 
and Concepcion Departments.  The United States has large 
Paraguayan communities in New York, Texas, and Kansas.  There 
have been no known cases of forced labor or exploitative 
child labor of Paraguayans in the United States in the recent 
years. 
 
-- How long they have been in this situation:  Varies.  Many 
children are involved in forced or exploitative labor long 
term.  Some quit, fall victim to industrial or agrarian 
accidents, or are forced out by their employers once they are 
no longer deemed useful. 
 
-- Estimated numbers of people in the situations:  Thousands 
of children are victims of forced labor or exploitative child 
labor.  It is unknown how many adults are victims of forced 
labor in Paraguay. 
 
---------- 
INCIDENCES 
---------- 
 
¶6.  (U) The following instances of exploitative child labor 
are indicative of a larger problem in the production of both 
finished and unfinished goods. 
 
-- Child rescue from lime factory:  ILO's Puente recounted 
the December 2007 rescue of child laborers from a lime 
factory in Ita Kua, Concepcion Department.  National Police 
and prosecutors coordinated the rescue with assistance from 
the Ultima Hora newspaper.  Puente and the MJT's Lopez noted 
that child labor in lime and brick factories is especially 
widespread in Cordillera and Concepcion departments and that 
the Ita Kua lime factory is one of many employing child 
laborers. 
 
-- Child labor in Canindeyu:  MPDL's Allende shared the 
results of a study of child labor practices in Canindeyu, a 
rural department in eastern Paraguay.  Allende studied 246 
cases of child labor in 2004 and noted that exploitative 
child labor is common. 
 
¶7.  (U) The host government, UNICEF, and the ILO have worked 
together to implement targeted assistance programs to combat 
forced and exploitative child labor in goods production. 
Some are effective but limited in scope.  Few, if any, host 
government, industry, or NGO efforts have been proven to 
significantly reduce or eliminate forced or exploitative 
child labor.  These programs include: 
 
-- "Hugs Program" (Programa Abrazos, in Spanish):  The 
government's Social Action Secretariat (SAS) pays parents of 
street children a monthly stipend to send their children to 
school.  This program has had some impact in Asuncion. 
 
-- "Tekopora":  SAS program that pays parents in rural 
communities to send their children to school.  This program 
has had some impact in rural communities that have received 
these funds, notably in Curuguaty, Canindeyu Department. 
 
-- "Scream":  MEC adopted the ILO's "Scream" child labor 
intervention campaign and methodology to assist 
administrators and public school teachers in identifying 
child laborers and protecting them from exploitation.  MEC 
occasionally holds seminars to educate its staff about the 
issue of child labor within the framework of "Scream." 
 
-- "Extended School" (Escuela Extendida, in Spanish):  This 
is a program developed by the ILO and UNICEF now under 
consideration by the MEC.  The program would pay parents a 
stipend to send their children to school to participate in 
extracurricular activities. 
 
¶8.  (U) POC for this request is Embassy Asuncion Human Rights 
Officer Michael Edwards, telephone:  011-595-21-213-715, 
e-mail:  edwardsmg@state.gov. 
 
Please visit us at     http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/asuncion 
 
Cason