P 210641Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5843
INFO USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS KIGALI 000029 
 
 
DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER AND DRL/ILCSR FORO TUD DANGE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI USAID PGOV RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA: CHILD LABOR INFORMATION FOR TRADE AND 
DEVELOPMENT ACT (GSP) 2008 REPORT 
 
REF: 08 STATE 127448 
 
 
¶1. Post submits the following information in response to 
reftel request for information on child labor in Rwanda. 
Point of contact for further information is PolOff Jennifer 
¶L. Orrico. 
 
A) Laws and regulations proscribing the worst forms of child 
labor: 
 
Article 28 of the Constitution guarantees every child special 
measures of protection by his/her family, society, and the 
state. 
 
The 2006 National Employment Policy affirms the right to work 
in just and favorable conditions, and recommends enhanced 
youth employment opportunities, including vocational training 
and development of entrepreneurship, while also calling for 
the elimination of child labor. 
 
Articles 363 to 378 of the penal code provide for 
punishment of prostitution, incitement to prostitution, 
exploitation of prostitution and public indecency. 
 
Law No. 27/2001 (April 28, 2001) includes provisions for 
the protection of the child against violence.  Article 4 
states that the minimum age for recruitment into the army is 
¶18.  Forced marriage and involvement of children in 
prostitution, pornography, drug trafficking and slavery are 
also punishable crimes under the law.  This law also 
establishes that any sexual relations with a child under 18 
are considered rape.  Anyone who lives or attempts to live 
with a child of less than 18 as husband or wife shall be 
deemed to have committed rape.  Under this law, the penalty 
for rape of a child between 14 and 18 is 20 to 25 years in 
prison, and life in prison for rape of a child under 14. 
 
Law No. 51/2001 establishing the labor code states that the 
child shall not be employed for night tasks that are 
unhealthy or dangerous.  Articles 192 and 194 of the labor 
code provide for penalties against those who violate said 
provisions.  The labor code also expressly forbids forced 
labor. 
 
Law No. 13/2002 (July 1, 2002) governs the armed forces and 
Law No. 16/2002 (August 15, 2002) establishes the minimum age 
for enrollment in the army. 
 
The National Policy for Orphans and Vulnerable Children 
(2003) outlines measures to protect children from abuse and 
exploitation and to provide them with access to health care, 
education, and economic and psychosocial support. 
 
There is no specific anti-trafficking law, but laws against 
slavery, prostitution by coercion, kidnapping, rape, and 
defilement were available to prosecute traffickers.  Punitive 
measures include fines for those who exploit child labor. 
Prostitution is illegal, and punitive measures regarding 
prostitution include imprisonment of three months to five 
years for those who entice others into prostitution; 
imprisonment of six months to six years and a fine for those 
who procure prostitutes; and imprisonment of one to five 
years for those who financially benefit from the 
proceeds.  The penalty for rape ranges from a minimum of 15 
years imprisonment to a maximum of a life sentence if the rape 
results in the severe chronic disease or death of the victim. 
Any sexual relations with a child under 18 are considered 
rape, and are punishable by between 20 years to life in 
prison.  Rape of a child resulting in severe chronic disease 
or death of the victim is also punishable by life 
imprisonment. 
 
The GOR has ratified ILO Conventions 138 and 182.  Rwanda is 
a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of 
the Child and has acceded to the Optional Protocols on the 
Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and on Child 
Trafficking, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography.  It 
has also signed the African Charter on the Rights and the 
Welfare of the Child.  Rwanda is also a signatory to the 
UNESCO World Declaration on Education for All, the UN 
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
Against Women and the UN Resolution 48/96 on Standard Rules on 
the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. 
The Government of Rwanda (GOR) identified five forms of child 
labor as those that should be considered as the "worst forms 
of child labor," including domestic work outside the family 
sphere; agricultural activities on tea, rice, and sugar cane 
plantations; work in brickyards and sand extraction quarries; 
crushing stones; and prostitution. 
 
 
B) Regulations for implementation and enforcement of 
proscriptions against the worst forms of child labor: 
 
Civil fines and criminal penalties, including imprisonment, 
are available to prosecute violators of child labor laws. 
Some districts have established by-laws to prevent child 
labor. 
 
The GOR has limited resources to investigate child labor 
violations, but employs 30 labor inspectors, one for each of 
its 30 districts, in 12 regional offices.  A National 
Advisory Committee on Child Labor comprised of various 
government ministries, the National Human Rights Commission, 
the Rwandan National Police, trade unions, and NGOs meets 
regularly to provide guidance and technical assistance to the 
government on child labor issues. 
 
Statistics on the number of investigations into child labor 
cases and numbers of resulting penalties were not available. 
 
The GOR offered training to police and offered community 
sensitization programs on child protection and trafficking 
issues.  NGOs provided local government child development 
committees with training on monitoring child labor and 
sensitized parents and children on child labor issues through 
these committees.  School-based programs included teacher 
training on child labor monitoring and counseling and the 
formation of student clubs to raise awareness of social 
issues including child labor and HIV/AIDS. 
 
C) Social programs specifically designed to prevent and 
withdraw children from the worst forms of child labor: 
 
The GOR collaborated with a regional NGO to withdraw or 
prevent children from exploitative labor through the 
provision of training and prevention services.  Joint efforts 
between the GOR and NGOs directed toward street children 
included prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration 
programs.  In conjunction with NGOs, the GOR worked to 
develop a child poverty profile to determine which vulnerable 
children would have access to a social support package 
including health, educational, justice, and psychosocial 
services. 
 
The GOR supported a demobilization and reintegration program 
for combatants, including children.  Children who had served 
as soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 
received care and reintegration preparation from the Muhazi 
demobilization center for children in the Eastern Province. 
 
D) Comprehensive policy aimed at the elimination of the worst 
forms of child labor: 
 
The GOR has a Strategic Plan of Action for Orphans and Other 
Vulnerable Children as well as a National Policy for the 
Elimination of Child Labor.  Child labor is specifically 
incorporated into the national Economic Development and 
Poverty Reduction Strategy and child protection and 
development is prioritized in the Vision 2020 long-term 
development plan as well as in the National Investment 
Strategy.  These strategic plans are multi-year programs, and 
implementation is ongoing. 
 
Article 38 of the Constitution provides for free primary 
education for all children.  However, many parents had to pay 
unofficial fees to support basic school operations. 
 
E) Continual progress toward eliminating the worst forms of 
child labor: 
 
More than 85 percent of the Rwandan workforce is engaged in 
subsistence agriculture, and child labor in this sector 
continues.  Children also worked as household domestics, as 
small-scale vendors, in tea plantations, and in the 
brick-making industry.  The GOR continues to make concerted 
efforts to address and reduce the worst forms of child labor. 
Qefforts to address and reduce the worst forms of child labor. 
 Accurate statistics on child labor changes in the past year 
were not available. 
 
SIM