VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0096/01 0362233
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 052232Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0357
INFO RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000096 
 
SIPDIS 
WHA/CAR FOR KAREN MCISAAC 
DOL/ILAB FOR LEYLA STROTKAMP, RACHEL RIGBY AND TINA MCCARTER 
DRL/ILCSR FOR SARAH MORGAN 
G/TIP FOR LUIS CDEBACA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI XL
SUBJECT: ST LUCIA - INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR FOR 
DOL CONGRESSIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 
 
REF: 09 SECSTATE 131997 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Child labor is not an issue in St Lucia.   Post has 
found no evidence of exploitative child labor or forced labor in St 
Lucia.  The law provides for a minimum legal working age of 16 
years.  The minimum legal working age for industrial work is 18 
years.  Child labor existed to some degree in the rural areas, 
primarily where school-age children helped harvest bananas from 
family trees.  Children also typically worked in urban food stalls 
or sold confectionery on sidewalks on nonschool days and during 
festivals.  The Department of Labor of the Ministry of Labor 
Relations, Public Service, and Cooperatives was responsible for 
enforcing statutes regulating child labor.  Employer penalties for 
violating the child labor laws were EC$9.60 ($3.55) for a first 
offense and EC$24 ($8.88) for a second offense.  There were no 
formal reports of violations of child labor laws.  Compulsory 
primary and secondary education policies reinforced minimum age 
requirements.  The Labor Department had a small cadre of labor 
inspectors who conducted spot investigations of enterprises and 
checked records to verify compliance with the law.  These 
inspectors may take legal action against an employer who is found 
to have underage workers.  According to the chief labor inspector, 
no underage employment cases were filed during the past few years. 
There were no changes to the law regarding child labor issues 
during the last year.   End Summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.  Tasking I.  Use of Forced or Child Labor 
 
 
 
a.  Type of Goods:  None, no cases of such production were reported 
in St. Lucia. 
 
 
 
b.  Type of Exploitation Found in the Production of the Goods:  No 
reported cases. 
 
 
 
c.  Sources of Information and Years:  No reported cases. 
 
 
 
d.  Narrative Description:  There were no reported incidents of 
child or forced labor in St. Lucia during the last calendar year. 
 
 
 
e.  Prevalence:  Although child labor as defined under the ILO 
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor is not occurring in St 
Lucia according to the Labor Commissioner's office, there were some 
children who were employed after school and on the weekends. 
Helping out in the family business or farm is quite common in St 
Lucia.  But, children attend school until age 16 and school truancy 
officers follow up with delinquent children to ensure that they 
attend school. 
 
 
 
f.  Efforts Designed to Combat Forced Labor of Adults or children 
in the Production of Goods:  No particular programs have been 
conducted in recent years. 
 
 
 
¶2.  Tasking II. 
 
 
 
a.  Prevalence and Sectoral Distribution of Exploitive Child Labor: 
 
 
 
(1)   In what sectors (not related to the production of goods) were 
children involved in exploitive labor?  No reported cases. 
 
 
 
(2)   Did the Government collect or publish data on exploitive 
child labor?  If so, will the government provide the data set to 
DOL for further analysis?   No reported cases. 
 
 
 
b.  Laws and Regulations: 
 
 
 
(1)         What new laws or regulations were enacted in regard to 
exploitive child labor over the past year?  Were the changes 
improvements in the legal and regulatory framework?   None. 
 
 
 
(2)         Is the country's legal and regulatory framework 
adequate for addressing exploitive child labor?  Child labor cases 
are dealt with by the Ministry of Labor's labor inspector's office. 
They are prepared to deal with any such cases reported to them, but 
have not received any reports in the last few years. 
 
 
 
c. Institutions and Mechanism for Enforcement: 
 
 
 
       2C, Section I: Hazardous Child Labor: 
 
 
 
(1)         What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the 
enforcement of laws relating to hazardous child labor?  The 
Ministry of Labor has the prime responsibility along with the 
Ministry of Gender and Family Affairs, which handles cases of 
suspected child abuse.  But there were no reported cases of child 
labor, although there were complaints of child abuse, which is 
somewhat pervasive in St. Lucia. 
 
 
 
(2)         If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, 
was there mechanisms for exchanging information?  Assess their 
effectiveness.  The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Gender 
and Family Affairs would work together if they received any 
complaints of child labor cases. Did the country maintain a 
mechanism for making complaints about hazardous child labor 
violations?  If so, how many complaints were received in the 
reporting period?  No complaints were received. 
 
 
 
(3)         What amount of funding was provided to agencies 
responsible for inspections?  Was this amount adequate?  Did 
inspectors have sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, 
and other necessities to carry out inspections?   Funding is 
adequate. 
 
 
 
(4)         How many inspectors did the government employ?  Was the 
number of inspectors adequate?  The government of St Lucia has 
seven labor inspectors, who cover the gamete of possible labor 
violations, including child labor.  The number of inspectors is not 
adequate but the government is hiring more inspectors. The labor 
commissioner reported to LABOFF that they had not seen any child 
labor violations in recent years. 
 
 
 
(5)         How many inspections involving child labor were carried 
out?  If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven 
versus random, government-initiated inspections.  Were inspections 
carried out in sectors in which children work?  Was the number of 
inspections adequate?   There were no inspections conducted as 
there were no reported cases. 
 
 
 
(6)         How many children were removed/assisted as a result of 
inspections?  Were these children actually provided or referred for 
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)?  There were no 
inspections and no removals as a result of inspections. 
 
 
(7)         How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were 
opened?  No cases were opened. 
 
 
 
(8)         How many child labor cases were closed or resolved?  No 
cases reported. 
 
 
 
(9)         How many violations were found or "convictions" 
reached?  No violations were found. 
 
 
 
(10)     What is the average length of time it took to resolve 
child labor cases? Unclear as there have been no cases reported. 
 
 
 
(11)     In cases in which violations were found, were penalties 
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence 
served?  Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law? 
No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(12)     Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above 
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor?  Yes, the 
labor ministry is committed to ensuring that child labor does not 
become a problem. 
 
 
 
(13)     Did government offer any training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement?  If so, what (if any) impact 
have these trainings had? ILO sub-regional office conducted child 
labor training a few years ago when St Lucia ratified the ILO 
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.  The training was 
effective according to the labor commissioner. 
 
 
 
       2C, Section II: Forced Child Labor: 
 
 
 
(1)         What agency/agencies was/were responsible for the 
enforcement of laws relating to forced child labor?  The Ministry 
of Labor would take the lead, the Ministry of Family and Gender 
Affairs takes the lead on child abuse cases. 
 
 
 
(2)         If multiple agencies were responsible for enforcement, 
were there mechanism for exchanging information?  Assess their 
effectiveness.  Although there were no cases reported, it appears 
that the Ministry of Labor is prepared to deal with Child labor 
cases. 
 
 
 
(3)         Did the country maintain a mechanism for making 
complaints about forced child labor violations?  If so, how many 
complaints were received in the reporting period?  There is no 
separate reporting mechanism.  The Ministry takes action if they 
receive a complaint from the public.  They did not receive any 
complaints in recent years. 
 
 
 
(4)         What amount of funding was provided to agencies 
responsible for inspections?  Was this amount adequate?  Did 
inspectors have sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, 
and other necessities to carry out inspections? Funding appears 
adequate. 
 
 
 
(5)         How many inspectors did the government employ?  Was the 
number of inspectors adequate?  The Ministry of Labor has seven 
inspectors who cover the whole range of possible labor violations, 
including Child Labor.  The number of inspectors is inadequate to 
fully inspect all potential worksites. 
 
 
(6)         How many inspections involving child labor were carried 
out?  If possible, please provide breakdown of complaint-driven 
versus random, government-initiated inspections.  Were inspections 
carried out in sectors in which children work?  Was the number of 
inspections adequate?   No inspections were carried out. 
 
 
 
(7)         How many children were removed/assisted as a result of 
inspections?  Were these children actually provided or referred for 
services as a result (as opposed to simply fired)?  No children 
were rescued as there were no cases opened. 
 
 
 
(8)         How many child labor cases or "prosecutions" were 
opened?  None reported. 
 
 
 
(9)         How many child labor cases were closed or resolved? 
None reported. 
 
 
 
(10)     How many violations were found or "convictions" reached? 
No violations were reported. 
 
 
 
(11)     What is the average length of time it took to resolve 
child labor cases? No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(12)     In cases in which violations were found, were penalties 
actually applied, either through fines paid or jail sentence 
served?  Did such sentences meet penalties established in the law? 
No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(13)     Did the experience regarding questions 7 through 10 above 
reflect a commitment to combat exploitive child labor?  Yes, the 
government seems committed to ensuring that Child Labor does not 
become a problem. 
 
 
 
(14)     Did government offer any training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement?  If so, what (if any) impact 
have these trainings had?  No particular training was offered. 
 
 
 
d. Institutional Mechanism for Effective Enforcement: 
 
 
 
       2D, Section I: Child Trafficking: 
 
 
 
(1)         Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to 
enforcement of child trafficking?  How many investigators/social 
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to 
conduct investigations?  If there were no dedicated agencies or 
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were 
responsible for such investigations.  Was the number of 
investigators adequate?  Child trafficking is not dealt with by 
special inspectors or personnel.  Police would take the lead in any 
trafficking investigation.  There were no reported cases. 
 
 
 
(2)         How much funding was provided agencies responsible for 
investigating child trafficking?  Was this amount adequate?  Did 
investigators have sufficient office facilities, transportation, 
fuel, and other necessities to carry out investigations?   There is 
no special funding for Child Trafficking.  But the police appear to 
have sufficient funding. 
 
 
(3)         Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism 
for reporting child trafficking violations?  If so, how many 
complaints were received in the reporting period?  No hotline 
exists for child trafficking cases. 
 
 
 
(4)         How many investigations were opened in regard to child 
trafficking?  Was the number of investigations adequate?  No 
inspections took place. 
 
 
 
(5)         How many children were rescued as a result?  No 
inspections took place. 
 
 
 
(6)         How many arrests were made or other kinds of 
prosecutions carried out?  No arrests were made. 
 
 
 
(7)         How many cases were closed or resolved? No cases were 
reported. 
 
 
 
(8)         How many convictions? No convictions were reported. 
 
 
 
(9)         Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the 
legal framework? No convictions were reported.  Child trafficking 
is not a separate offense from trafficking in general. 
 
 
 
(10)     Were sentences imposed actually served? No arrests were 
made. 
 
 
 
(11)     What is the average length of time it takes to resolve 
cases of child trafficking?  No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(12)     Did the government offer any training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement of child trafficking?  If so 
what was the impact (if any) of these trainings? 
 
 
 
(13)     If the country experienced armed conflict during the 
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child 
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible? 
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation? 
There has been no armed conflict in recent decades. 
 
 
 
       2D, Section II: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children 
(CSEC): 
 
 
 
(1)         Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to 
enforcement of CSEC?  How many investigators/social 
workers/dedicated police officers did the government employ to 
conduct investigations?  If there were no dedicated agencies or 
personnel, provide an estimate of the number of people who were 
responsible for such investigations.  Was the number of 
investigators adequate?  There is no special enforcement agency. 
Police would refer suspected cases of trafficking to the Child 
Welfare Board which oversees child abuse cases.  There are no 
reports of CSEC in St Lucia.  There may be some isolated incidences 
of underage prostitution as prostitution does occur in St Lucia. 
Many of the commercial sex workers are from other islands. 
Commercial sex workers work out of underground clubs; most of the 
patrons are local residents as sex tourism does not appear to be 
 
 
occurring in St. Lucia. There is no evidence of organized 
trafficking of women or children for commercial sex work. 
 
 
 
(2)         How much funding was provided agencies responsible for 
investigating CSEC?  Was this amount adequate?  Did investigators 
have sufficient office facilities, transportation, fuel, and other 
necessities to carry out investigations?  No dedicated funding 
exists.  Funding for police seems adequate. 
 
(3)         Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism 
for reporting CSEC violations?  If so, how many complaints were 
received in the reporting period?  No hotline exists. 
 
(4)         How many investigations were opened in regard to CSEC? 
Was the number of investigations adequate?  No cases were reported. 
 
(5)         How many children were rescued as a result?  No cases 
were reported. 
 
(6)         How many arrests were made or other kinds of 
prosecutions carried out?  No cases were reported. 
 
(7)         How many cases were closed or resolved?  No cases were 
reported. 
 
(8)         How many convictions?  No cases were reported. 
 
(9)         Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the 
legal framework?  No cases were reported. 
 
(10)     Were sentences imposed actually served? No cases were 
reported. 
 
 
 
(11)     What is the average length of time it takes to resolve 
cases of CSEC? No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(12)     Did the government offer any training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement of CSEC?  If so what was the 
impact (if any) of these trainings?  No particular training has 
occurred. 
 
 
 
(13)     If the country experienced armed conflict during the 
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child 
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible? 
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation?  No 
armed conflict occurred in recent decades. 
 
 
 
       2D, Section III: Use of Children in Illicit Activities: 
 
 
 
(1)         Did the country have agencies or personnel dedicated to 
enforcement of the use of children in illicit activities?  How many 
investigators/social workers/dedicated police officers did the 
government employ to conduct investigations?  If there were no 
dedicated agencies or personnel, provide an estimate of the number 
of people who were responsible for such investigations.  Was the 
number of investigators adequate?  There is no dedicated agency 
devoted to such investigations.  The Police would refer suspected 
child abuse cases to the Ministry of Family and Gender Affairs for 
follow up. 
 
 
 
(2)         How much funding was provided agencies responsible for 
investigating the use of children in illicit activities?  Was this 
amount adequate?  Did investigators have sufficient office 
facilities, transportation, fuel, and other necessities to carry 
out investigations?  There is adequate funding. 
 
 
 
(3)         Did the country maintain a hotline or other mechanism 
for reporting the use of children in illicit activities violations? 
 
 
If so, how many complaints were received in the reporting period? 
No separate hotline exists. 
 
 
 
(4)         How many investigations were opened in regard to the 
use of children in illicit activities?  Was the number of 
investigations adequate?  No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(5)         How many children were rescued as a result?  No cases 
were reported. 
 
 
 
(6)         How many arrests were made or other kinds of 
prosecutions carried out?  No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(7)         How many cases were closed or resolved?  No cases were 
reported. 
 
 
 
(8)         How many convictions?  No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(9)         Did sentences imposed meet standards established in the 
legal framework?  No cases were reported. 
 
 
 
(10)     Were sentences imposed actually served?  No cases were 
reported. 
 
 
 
(11)     What is the average length of time it takes to resolve 
cases of the use of children in illicit activities?  No cases were 
reported. 
 
 
 
(12)     Did the government offer any training for investigators or 
others responsible for enforcement of the use of children in 
illicit activities?  If so what was the impact (if any) of these 
trainings?  No particular training programs exist. 
 
 
 
(13)     If the country experienced armed conflict during the 
reporting period or in the recent past involving the use of child 
soldiers, what actions were taken to penalize those responsible? 
Were these actions adequate or meaningful given the situation?  No 
armed conflict during the last few decades. 
 
 
 
e.  Government Policies on Child Labor: 
 
 
 
(1)         Did the government have a policy or plan that 
specifically addresses exploitive child labor?  Please describe. 
The government does not have an exploitative child labor action 
plan. 
 
 
 
(2)         Did the country incorporate exploitive child labor 
specifically as an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, 
development, educational or other social policies, such as Poverty 
Reduction Strategy Papers, etc?  Please describe.  The government 
does not have an exploitative child labor plan. 
 
 
 
(3)         Did the government provide funding to the plans 
described above?  Please describe the amount and whether it was 
sufficient to carry out the planned activities.  No funds were 
dedicated to these programs. 
 
 
(4)         Did the government provide non-monetary support to 
child labor plans.  Please describe.  No such provisions were made. 
 
 
 
 
(5)         Provide any additional information about the status and 
effectiveness of the government's policies or plans during the 
reporting period in regard to exploitive child labor.  The 
government is prepared to address the issue if it becomes a 
problem. 
 
 
 
(6)         Did the government participate in any commissions or 
task forces regarding exploitive child labor?  Was the commission 
active and/or effective?  No special task force has been set up. 
 
 
 
(7)         Did the government sign a bilateral, regional, or 
international agreement to combat trafficking?  The Government has 
ratified the applicable international agreements on trafficking and 
the ILO convention on the worst forms of child labor. 
 
 
 
f. Social Programs to Eliminate or Prevent Child Labor: 
 
 
 
(1)         Did the government implement any programs specifically 
to address the worst forms of child labor?  No special programs 
have been enacted. 
 
 
 
(2)         Did the country incorporate child labor specifically as 
an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, development, 
educational or other social programs, such as conditional cash 
transfer programs or eligibility for school meals, etc?  Please 
describe.  No such programs exist. 
 
 
 
(3)         Did the government provide funding to the programs 
described above?  If so, describe the amount and whether it was 
sufficient to carry out the planned activities. No such programs 
exist. 
 
 
 
(4)         Did the government provide non-monetary support to 
child labor programs?  Please describe. No such programs exist. 
 
 
 
(5)         Provide any additional information about the status and 
effectiveness of the government's activities in relation to the 
programs described above. and describe and assess the effectiveness 
of these services.  No such programs exist. 
 
 
 
(6)         If the government signed one or more bilateral, 
regional or international agreements to combat trafficking, what 
steps did it take to implement such agreements?  Did the agreements 
result in tangible improvements?  If so, please describe.  The 
government has signed the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of 
Child Labor and has taken steps to ensure that it is compliance. 
 
 
 
g. Continual Progress: 
 
 
 
St Lucia does not have a child labor problem but is committed to 
ensuring that exploitative child labor does not take root in St 
Lucia.  The government is justly proud of its near 100 percent 
school attendance record. 
HARDT