VZCZCXRO5824
PP RUEHDT
DE RUEHDT #0027/01 0350638
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 040638Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4693
INFO RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 4261

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI TT
SUBJECT: TIMOR-LESTE: INFORMATION ON CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 131995 
     ¶B. B) 08 DILI 41 
 
¶1.  Summary: Child labor in Timor-Leste remains pervasive and 
difficult to quantify (see ref B for further background). 
Children work in agriculture, as street and market vendors, and 
as domestic laborers.  Although there is some anecdotal evidence 
to suggest that underage girls have been forced into 
prostitution, this and other severe forms of child labor are not 
believed to be chronic or widespread.  The successful 
maintenance of peace and stability over the last two years has 
given the GOTL an opportunity to strengthen its legislation and 
enforcement mechanisms in an effort to tackle the problem of 
child labor.  These efforts are still in the initial stages and 
remain incomplete.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. With regard to the questions posed in ref A in relation to 
Tasking 1/Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 
2005 (TVPRA), post was unable to collect specific information or 
data to indicate that forced labor or exploitative child labor 
was used in the production of goods in Timor-Leste.  Interviews 
with the ILO and local NGOs suggest that child labor in the 
agricultural sector (including the production of coffee, 
Timor-Leste's primary non-energy export) was widespread, but no 
data or observations were offered suggesting that such labor was 
forced or exploitative. 
 
 
 
¶3. With regard to the questions posed in ref A in relation to 
Tasking 2/Trade and Development Act of 2000 (TDA), the following 
answers are provided to the questions posed in para 21: 
 
 
 
2A) Children in Timor-Leste are believed to be involved in 
domestic service, street vending, and, occasionally, in child 
prostitution.  The GOTL did not collect or publish data on 
exploitative child labor during this period. 
 
 
 
2B) The GOTL adopted ILO Convention 182 (Prohibition and 
Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child 
Labor) in April 2009.  Timor-Leste has yet to ratify ILO 
Convention 138 (Minimum Age for Admission to Employment), 
however, probably due to concerns that the current mandatory 
education requirements would set the minimum employment age too 
high.  The adoption of Convention 182, however, has yet to lead 
to meaningful improvements in the legal and regulatory framework 
which remains inadequate for addressing exploitative child 
labor.  Specifically, for example, labor inspectors in 
Timor-Leste currently lack the authority to enforce labor laws. 
A new Labor Code that is expected to be approved this year may 
address this problem. 
 
 
 
2C) Sections I & II: Hazardous Child Labor & Forced Child Labor: 
 
¶1.      The Secretary of State for Vocational Training and 
Employment, the National Police of Timor-Leste, and the Ministry 
for Social Solidarity are the agencies responsible for 
enforcement of laws relating to child labor. 
 
¶2.      Mechanisms for exchanging information exist, but are not 
perfect. 
 
¶3.      There was no separate mechanism for making complaints 
about hazardous and forced child labor violations (as opposed to 
child labor violations).  The GOTL has yet to define hazardous 
and forced child labor in its domestic legislation and laws. 
 
¶4.      There was no separate funding for enforcement agencies 
to carry out inspections. 
 
¶5.      The GOTL employs only 8 permanent labor inspectors. 
None are dedicated specifically to child labor. 
 
¶6.      There is no data available on how many child labor 
inspections were conducted. 
 
¶7.      Anecdotal evidence suggests that a few children who had 
been forced into prostitution were removed and referred to an 
NGO that provides assistance to the victims.  There is no data 
available to indicate the total numbers involved. 
 
¶8.      There were no child labor cases or prosecutions opened. 
 
¶9.      There were no child labor cases resolved. 
 
¶10.  There were no reported violations or convictions. 
 
 
DILI 00000027  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶11.  Not applicable. 
 
¶12.  Not applicable. 
 
¶13.  Continued efforts will be needed to effectively combat 
exploitative child labor. 
 
¶14.  The GOTL 
 
 
 
2D) Child trafficking, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of 
Children (CSEC) & the use of children in illicit activities: 
 
 
 
¶1.      There are no agencies or personnel dedicated to the 
enforcement of these forms of child labor.  The lack of data 
indicating the scope of the problem in Timor-Leste makes it 
difficult to determine whether the 8 permanent labor inspectors 
and existing police units are sufficient to address these 
problems. 
 
¶2.      No specific funding was dedicated to these problems. 
Virtually all GOTL enforcement agencies suffer from chronic 
capacity problems and lack the necessary funding, training, and 
qualified personnel to address these and other problems. 
 
¶3.      There is a hot line for trafficking in persons (not 
specifically for child trafficking).  Data was not available on 
how many complaints were received. 
 
¶4.      There were no investigations opened. 
 
¶5.      Anecdotal evidence suggests that some children were 
rescued as child prostitution cases came to light, but there are 
no statistics available. 
 
¶6.      No arrests or prosecutions. 
 
¶7.      No cases closed or resolved. 
 
¶8.      No convictions. 
 
¶9.      Not applicable. 
 
¶10.  Not applicable. 
 
¶11.  Not applicable. 
 
¶12.  No specific training was offered. 
 
¶13.  Not applicable. 
 
 
 
2E) Government Policies on Child Labor 
 
¶1.      The GOTL did not have a specific policy or plan to 
address exploitative child labor, although they have established 
a Child Labor Commission (in cooperation with the ILO and the 
Brazilian government) to define child labor and begin to develop 
policies to address it. 
 
¶2.      Exploitative labor is not specifically addressed in 
poverty reduction or other policies. 
 
¶3.      Not applicable. 
 
¶4.      Not applicable. 
 
¶5.      Not applicable. 
 
¶6.      In addition to the Commission mentioned above which is 
due to initiate its activities later this year, the GOTL 
participated in conferences on child labor in Portugal in 
February 2009 and in the Hague in May 2009. 
 
¶7.      The GOTL signed an agreement with the ILO and the 
Brazilian government to establish the Commission described above. 
 
 
 
2F) Social Programs to Eliminate or Prevent Child Labor: 
 
¶1.      The GOTL has not implemented any programs designed to 
address the worst forms of child labor. 
 
¶2.      The GOTL did not incorporate child labor specifically as 
an issue to be addressed by other programs. 
 
¶3.      Not applicable. 
 
¶4.      Not applicable. 
 
DILI 00000027  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶5.      Not applicable. 
 
¶6.      The agreement to establish a Child Labor Commission with 
the ILO and Brazil was signed in 2009 and is expected to 
initiate its activities in March 2010. 
 
 
 
2G) Continual Progress: While the GOTL has not made any material 
progress combating exploitative child labor, it has taken steps 
to begin addressing the issue.  Specifically, the ratification 
of ILO Convention 182 in April 2009 represented an important 
official commitment to addressing the issue.  A new Labor Code 
is expected to be adopted this year and would also strengthen 
existing enforcement mechanisms to address the problem of child 
labor.  In addition, the signing of an agreement with the ILO 
and the Brazilian government to establish a Child Labor 
Commission has established an operational mechanism whereby the 
GOTL hopes to adopt a definition of various types of child 
labor, raise public awareness of the problem, and develop a plan 
to address the problem.  The Commission is expected to initiate 
its activities in March 2010 and to remain active for one year. 
These developments are important steps in establishing the 
framework in which the GOTL can begin to address the problem of 
exploitative child labor in the coming years. 
KLEMM