VZCZCXYZ0005
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0076 0410932
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100932Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5964
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS TUNIS 000076 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DOL/ILAB (MMITTELHAUSER) 
STATE FOR DRL/IL AND NEA/MAG (MHAYES, SWILLIAMS) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD PHUM SOCI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA: WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR INFORMATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 127448 
     ¶B. 08 TUNIS 0206 
     ¶C. 07 TUNIS 1568 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  The information on Tunisia in the Department of 
Labor's 2007 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 
remains accurate, to the best of Post's knowledge.  The 
Government of Tunisia (GOT) did not respond to Post's 
requests for information about its activities in this area 
during 2008. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In February 2008, the Government of Tunisia said it 
planned to strengthen the existing child protection laws, 
however, no legislative changes were made during the year. 
International NGO's in Tunisia told the Embassy that the 
Government of Tunisia had said in April 2008 that it was 
intending to withdraw its reservations on the UN Convention 
on the Rights of the Child.  However, they have not been able 
to confirm that the GOT had carried through with its 
intention and the Tunisian reservations are still listed on 
the United Nations website. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Local and international NGOs report that government 
statistics on child labor are generally not publicly 
available or are disseminated quite late.  For example, the 
Ministry of Women, Family, Children and Elderly Affairs 2007 
report on children's issues was distributed to interested 
organizations the beginning of January 2009 even though the 
government review process started early in 2008.  For 2008, 
the Ministry submitted its report for review by President Ben 
Ali before January 11, 2009 and it will go to the High 
Council for Childhood, headed by the Prime Minister on 
January 17, 2009.  Once it has passed the High Council the 
report's main recommendations may be published in the 
newspapers.  However, the official publication will probably 
not occur until near the end of 2009. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The General Union for Tunisian Workers federation 
does not see child labor as a significant problem in Tunisia. 
 Existing laws requiring children to be in school and 
outlawing child labor under the age of 16 were generally 
enforced and provided adequate protection for children. 
Observers noted the weak point concerned children who are not 
succeeding in school and drop out making them the most 
vulnerable group.  The government has publicly estimated the 
number of children who drop-out before finishing secondary 
school to be about 50,000 per year from a total of about 2 
million students.  Most of these children stay with their 
families, however, some end up as "apprentices" in small 
businesses (mechanics, small stores, and selling jasmine to 
tourists) or, for girls, working as domestics.  The 
government may be starting to pay closer attention to this 
issue.  UNICEF assisted the government in 2008 to draft a 
report on street children, which may be released in the 
second quarter of 2009.  There two different types of 
Tunisian associations that work with vulnerable children on 
an individual level, one that focuses on children born out of 
wedlock and has 10 offices spread around the country, and a 
second one, the Center of Defense and Social Integration, 
that also works with children country wide, especially 
children who have come out of prison. 
Godec