VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCL #0012/01 0211718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211718Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8269
INFO RUEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0325
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0985
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0665

UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000012 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB TINA MCCARTER 
STATE ALSO FOR DRL/IL - TU DANG, DRL/NESCA, NEA/RA, NEA/MAG, 
NEA/ENA, G/IWI, AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND EAID PHUM SOCI KWMN MO
SUBJECT: 2008 MOROCCO UPDATE OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR 
 
REF: A. STATE 127448 
      B: 07 Casablanca 255 
 
------------------------ 
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 
------------------------ 
 
¶1.  Summary: This message provides requested updates for the 
Department of Labor's annual report on the Worst Forms of Child 
Labor and Morocco's commitment to combat and eliminate them.  It 
updates information provided by Post in 2007 and years prior, 
concerning Morocco's child labor laws and regulations, law 
enforcement efforts, information on violations and prosecutions, 
governmental, and non-governmental programs, and policies to 
eradicate child labor. 
 
¶2.  The Government of Morocco (GOM) recognizes that there is an 
ongoing problem with child labor in the country and has made 
significant progress towards eradication of the problem.  In recent 
years, Morocco has strengthened several legal codes aimed at ending 
the exploitation of children.  In 2004, the government passed 
reforms to the Family Code, the Labor Code, and the Penal Code, all 
of which strengthened children's rights.  In addition, the GOM 
adjusted the ages for compulsory schooling from 7-13 to 6-15 in 
¶2000. 
 
¶3.  Although the GOM informed Post of plans to pass legislation on 
the issue of child domestics and trafficking in persons (TIP), no 
new legislation was ratified in 2008.  The inclusion of TIP and 
labor issues in the Human Right's Dialogue between the Mission and 
the GOM has led to greater responsiveness and openness on the part 
of the government.  For the first time, the GOM reported on fines 
levied on businesses that employ underage children. 
 
¶4.  The GOM has put forward a National Action Plan for Children for 
2006-2015 and has undertaken a number of awareness-raising campaigns 
to sensitize the public to the issue of child labor.  Furthermore, 
the Ministry of Employment along with the International Labor 
Organization (ILO) has funded a number of programs in rural areas to 
decrease child labor by increasing school enrollment.  However, as 
in previous years, child labor persists and the GOM's good 
intentions are hampered by a failure to implement and enforce 
existing laws on the issue.  Also, the lack of government statistics 
on the issue makes it impossible to quantify any improvements in the 
number of children working.  END SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION. 
 
---------------------------------- 
OVERVIEW OF CHILD LABOR IN MOROCCO 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Child labor in Morocco is a persistent and widespread problem. 
Quantifying the extent of problem is difficult since up-to-date and 
accurate statistics are difficult to come by.  The GOM was unable to 
provide statistics for the number of children under 15 engaged in 
work in 2008.  In 2007 the Minister of Social Development, the 
Family and Solidarity, Nouzha Skalli, in a public interview reported 
the GOM's estimate for 2004 as 177,000 children under 15 in the work 
force.  Most experts agree this number is a gross underestimation of 
the scale of the problem. 
 
¶6.  The best information to date still comes from a 2003 report 
entitled "Understanding Children's Work in Morocco" (UCW) sponsored 
by UNICEF, the ILO, and the World Bank.  The primary source of this 
report's statistical information was taken from the Living Standards 
Measurement Studies (LSMS) of 1998/99 and the Labor Force Survey 
(LFS) of 2000 conducted by the Moroccan Statistics Directorate. 
 
¶7.  According to the UCW some 600,000 children age 7-14, or 11 
percent were engaged in work.   The overwhelming majority of child 
workers (87 percent) are engaged in rural work for their families 
and not for wages.  Children's work in urban areas was broken down 
across the following industries:  textiles (25 percent), commerce 
(16 percent), domestic service (12 percent), repairs (9 percent) and 
other industries (20 percent).  Girls are slightly more likely than 
boys to be involved in agriculture, domestic services and textile 
factories while mining, construction, repairs and transport are the 
exclusive domain of boys.  Working children, like their adult 
counterparts, put in an average of 45 hours per week.  Girls working 
as domestics put in 67 hours per week on average.  According to the 
UCW only 14 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls managed to attend 
school while working. 
 
¶8.  The UCW is likewise helpful for understanding the relationship 
of child labor and family.  Urban child workers can be divided 
between those who work for their family, those who work for a wage, 
and those engaged in an apprenticeship.  Children in the textile 
industry were evenly divided between wage employees (30 percent), 
family workers (32 percent) and apprentices (38 percent).  In the 
commerce sector, 50 percent of children worked for their familie 
s 
whereas 26 percent are self-employed.  Most children in the repair 
sector (90 percent) worked as apprentices.  96 percent of children 
in the agricultural sector worked for their families and di 
d not 
receive a wage. 
--------- 
EDUCATION 
--------- 
 
¶10.  Education levels are integrally tied to the issue of children 
labor.  Most government and NGO programs aimed at reducing child 
labor focus on increasing school attendance.  Morocco has over the 
last decades made significant strides on the issue of primary school 
enrollment.  In 1990-1991 the GOM reported enrollment in the first 
year of primary school at 55 percent whereas in 2000-2001 the number 
increased to 85 percent.  The Ministry of Education reported that in 
2008 that 86.3 percent of six year olds were enrolled in school. 
The UCW estimated in 2003, however, that 38 percent of children drop 
out before completing the sixth grade. 
 
¶11.  Access to education for children in urban areas presents few 
obstacles, whereas in rural areas the level of access is limited at 
best.  Lack of adequate facilities beyond primary education in most 
rural communities often ensures that young girls will not attend 
secondary school.  Parents are far less likely to send a female 
child away to boarding school or allow her to travel any distance 
away from home to attend classes, due to cultural and safety 
reasons.  Moreover, the expense of sending a child away to school is 
often prohibitive for rural families.  Given the choice between 
sending a female or male child to school most families opt for the 
male child.  The education of a male child is often seen as an 
investment in the future whereas the education of the female child 
beyond primary school is frequently viewed as an unnecessary 
expense. 
 
----------------------------------- 
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  The sexual exploitation and the trafficking of children 
continues to be a problem though neither the government, NGOs, nor 
international organizations are able to provide statistics defining 
its extent in Morocco.  In 2005 the UN Special Rapporteur on the 
issue of commercial exploitation of children received reports of 
child prostitution in all five cities (Casablanca, Meknes, Tangier, 
Marrakech and Rabat) she visited 2005.  NGOs working on the issue, 
in particular Touche Pas A Mon Enfant (Hands Off My Child - TPAME), 
reported dozens of cases of child prostitution in most large cities 
in Morocco.  Sex tourism remains a problem.  The GOM through the 
National Observatory for the Rights of Children (ONDE) has conducted 
seminars and public awareness campaigns on the issue.  A TPAME 
lawyer who works on sex tourism cases in Marrakesh reported that the 
GOM takes seriously and prosecutes cases of foreigners involved in 
the sexual exploitation of children. 
 
¶13.  A study on trafficking in Morocco sponsored by the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNHCR, and the UN 
Development Programme Representative in Morocco (UNDP) (Ref B) has 
finally received funding and began preliminary research in December 
of 2008.  The report, which focuses exclusively on victims 
trafficked internationally, will conclude in April of 2009 with 
publication of the report and recommendations for the GOM.  The 
researchers told us they were so far aware of Nigerian smuggling 
rings that traffic sub-Saharans for sexual exploitation in Europe 
and that may include minors.  Moroccan women trafficked to the 
Persian Gulf and the Levant are generally over 18.  A representative 
of the IOM reported that in 2009, UNIFEM and UNICEF plan to finance 
a separate report which will look at internal trafficking in 
Morocco, particularly the issues of child domestics and trafficking 
for sexual exploitation. 
 
¶14.  A 2003 study by UNICEF on the sexual exploitation of children 
in Marrakech interviewed 100 children engaged prostitution.  The 
study found that two thirds of the children came from single parent 
homes, 62 percent from the poorest social class, and that 97 percent 
were illiterate.  Three quarters of the children reported having 
sexual relations with Moroccans and with foreigners whereas 17 
percent reported having an exclusively foreign clientele. 
 
--------------- 
CHILD DOMESTICS 
--------------- 
 
¶15.  The issue of child domestics or "petites bonnes" remains a 
significant problem in Morocco.  Young girls living in rural areas 
are typically trafficked by middlemen or "simsars" who arrange 
employment with urban families for a fee.  Despite GOM awareness 
raising campaigns, the mentality still exists among urban employers 
that they are contributing to the welfare of the child by offering 
employment and a home.  We spoke with one NGO worker who admitted 
that before assuming her current position she employed a child 
worker and did not see the harm in it. 
 
¶16.  A 2001 study undertaken by the Ministry of Labor and the 
Municipality of Casablanca with the assistance of the UN Population 
Fund estimated that there were more than 22,940 children between the 
age of 12 and 18 working as domestics in Casablanca alone.  Of this 
number 13,580 were under the age of 16.  A study by the NGO Save the 
Children done in 2001 estimated that there are 66,000 girls in 
Morocco under the age of 15 with no relation or kinship working in a 
domestic servant capacity. 
 
¶17.  Child domestics, almost exclusively the domain of young girls, 
are especially vulnerable to exploitation.  Child domestics face 
increased risk of physical and sexual abuse from their employers. 
Furthermore, they typically work very long hours, do not attend 
school, and have high rates of illiteracy.  The women's NGO INSAF, 
which works with pregnant unwed mothers, told us that the 
overwhelming majority of its beneficiaries were former child 
domestics.  Similarly, Bayti, an NGO that works with street children 
in Casablanca, reported that most of its female beneficiaries are 
former child domestics who fled to the streets to avoid sexual or 
physical abuse by their employers. 
 
---------------- 
ARTISINAL SECTOR 
---------------- 
 
¶18.  The UCW report indicates there are some 36,000 children working 
as "artisans" in the country who typically begin as apprentices at a 
very young age.  Weaving of rugs by hand is the domain of girls, 
while boys are involved in pottery, ceramics, metal work, leather 
goods and shoes. 
 
------------ 
ARMED FORCES 
------------ 
 
¶19.  The minimum age for voluntary or compulsory recruitment into 
the armed forces is 18 years.  There is no evidence of underage 
recruitment into the Moroccan armed services. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
GOM COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL TREATIES 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶20.  Morocco ratified ILO Convention 138 (minimum age of employment) 
and Convention 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labor) in 2000 and 2001 
respectively.  Morocco also ratified the UN Convention of Rights of 
the Child in June 1993.  Furthermore, Morocco has amended more than 
240 articles of legislation to enhance the rights of children in the 
last decade.  Notably amongst these are legislative overalls to the 
Labor Code in 2004 which changed the minimum age of legal work from 
12 to 15 for all sectors and professions (Article 143).  However, 
the labor code does not cover the informal sector or the family work 
place where the overwhelming majority of working children are found. 
 
 
------------------------------------ 
GOM EFFORTS TO ERADICATE CHILD LABOR 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶21.  The GOM continues to emphasize the elimination of child labor. 
In 2006 the GOM launched its 'National Plan of Action for Children,' 
outlining the government's strategy for 2006-2015 and headed by the 
king's sister Princess Lalla Meryem.  The plan's four goals are to 
improve children's health and education; protect children from 
abuse, violence, and exploitation; and combat HIV/AIDs.  In 2007 the 
government created a inter-ministerial commission known as "Inqad" 
to fight child employment, particularly child domestics.  The 
commission is tasked with making recommendations to the government 
on judicial reforms and working with partners in civil society to 
improve the situation of child labor.  Inqad also spearheaded an 
anti-child labor awareness campaign from January to February of 2007 
using print media, radio and television to disseminate information 
about the dangers of child labor. 
¶22.  As part of the National Plan of Action for Children and the 
GOM's anti-child labor efforts, the Ministry of Employment and 
Professional Formation led by the Office of the Director of Work, in 
conjunction with ILO-IPEC and local NGO partners, oversaw a number 
of programs to deal with the issue of child labor.  The Ministry is 
currently managing four programs to be implemented by local NGOs in 
the provinces of Kenitra, Taroudat, and two in Marrakech.  The 
programs seek to decrease incidents of child labor through awareness 
raising, financial assistance to needy families, and lowering 
obstacles to school attendance.  The total budget for the four 
programs is USD 236,000. 
 
¶23.  A bill that would regulate domestic labor proposed by the 
Ministry of Social Development, Families and Solidarity (reported by 
post in 2007) has not moved forward.  The Ministry remains hopeful 
there will progress in the upcoming year. 
 
----------------------- 
GOM ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS 
----------------------- 
 
¶24.  Enforcement of the labor code is the responsibility of the 
Ministry of Employment through its team of labor inspectors. 
Employment of children under the age of 15 years is forbidden by 
article 143 of the Labor Code of 2004.  However, the inspectors are 
limited in number, resources, and investigative power which affects 
their ability to fulfill their enforcement function.  There are no 
labor inspectors dedicated solely to child labor issues and the 
inspectors do not have the authority to inspect private residences 
for underage domestic servants.  As in previous years, the Ministry 
of Justice was unable to point to any cases of fines or sanctions 
levied against individuals for the illegal employment of child 
domestics or the prosecution of middle-men or "simsars" who traffic 
children from rural to urban areas. 
 
¶25.  The Ministry of Employment reported that in the first six 
months of 2008, 55 establishments were visited with 94 observations 
of child labor.  29 fines and citations were given to businesses 
employing children under the age of 15.  During the same time 
period, 184 establishments were visited and 616 observations and 19 
fines were given for the employment between 15 and 18 years of age. 
The fines and citations given for child work were in the following 
industries:  the wood-working 23 percent, mechanical 19 percent, and 
construction industries 12 percent, and other sectors 46 percent. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶26.  There is little doubt that the GOM attaches high priority to 
combating the worst forms of child labor, especially the sexual 
exploitation of children.  The country's adherence to international 
conventions, its legal reforms and its organization of forums, 
seminars, and awareness raising campaigns on the issue all indicate 
a clear political will to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. 
However, the government continues to fall short in implementing 
existing laws against child labor.  There are currently no 
mechanisms to identify domiciles that employ child domestics and 
withdraw them from the homes.  Moreover, the government has not 
demonstrated any effort to prosecute employers of child domestics 
and most importantly the middlemen who traffic them.  The current 
force of labor inspectors is understaffed and ill-equipped to deal 
with the issue of child labor in general and child domestics in 
particular. 
 
¶27.  Child labor in Morocco is largely a rural phenomenon, tied to 
issues of poverty and education.  Morocco has taken steps through 
the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the various 
 
government ministries to alleviate rural poverty, extend electricity 
and potable water to remote areas, and eliminate obstacles to 
accessing education.  The GOM needs to fund quantitative studies on 
child labor in the various sectors of the economy in order to have a 
clearer picture about the prevalence of the problem and the 
effectiveness of its dev 
elopment programs in countering child labor 
and increasing school enrollment. 
 
¶28.  Trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children remains a 
real concern.  The GOM should enact legislation that specific 
ally 
outlaws trafficking and create mechanisms to support and defend its 
victims.  Currently, local NGOs are taking the lead in raising 
the victims of sexual exploitation.  The GOM, potentially in 
partnership with these NGOs, needs to take a more active role in 
countering this problem.  On the policy side, the Mission will 
continue to engage on issues of trafficking and child labor with the 
GOM and advocate for the needed reforms and greater action.  End 
Comment. 
 
¶29.  Embassy Rabat has coordinated on this message. 
 
Millard