VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0097/01 0391410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081410Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7273
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS TUNIS 000097 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DRL/ILCSR (SMORGAN), G/TIP (LCDEBACA), AND NEA/MAG 
(MHAYES) 
ALSO FOR DOL/ILAB (LSTROTKAMP, RRIGBY, AND TMCCARTER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EIND ETRD KTIP PHUM SOCI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA:  CHILD LABOR AND FORCED LABOR REPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 131997 
     ¶B. 09 TUNIS 76 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) In 2009, there were no significant changes in the 
Government of Tunisia's efforts to combat the worst forms of 
child labor.  The information on Tunisia in the Department of 
Labor's 2008 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 
remains accurate, to the best of Post's knowledge.  UNICEF's 
Tunis office reported that it did not have any statistics for 
2009 or 2008 under the category of child labor.  Likewise the 
ILO office covering Tunisia did not have any data on child 
labor.  The Government of Tunisia has not responded to our 
requests for meetings on this subject. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Tasking 1/TVPRA - Child Labor used in the production 
of goods:  The Embassy has anecdotal information that in 
Tunisia children under 16 work mainly during school holidays 
and primarily in the artisanal sector and the agricultural 
sector.  However, this practice does not appear to be 
widespread nor does it appear to be an extreme form of child 
labor; instead, it is a traditional practice in family 
businesses. UNICEF reported that the GOT did not take any new 
measures or initiatives in 2009 to combat child labor. 
International NGO experts believe that the number of children 
reported to have left school before graduating could provide 
a rough approximation of the potential size of the problem. 
(Note:  We do believe there is some correlation between the 
drop-out rate and entry into the labor force, but do not 
believe it is an absolute correlation.  End Note.)  According 
to GOT statistics in 2009, 99.1 percent of eligible children 
were enrolled in the first year of school, 97.3 percent were 
enrolled in primary school, but only 76.1 percent were 
enrolled in secondary school. 
 
¶3. Tasking 2/TDA - The following responses are keyed to 
questions in paragraph 21 of ref A: 
 
2A. 1) Children are seen working primarily in the informal 
sector and most often during the summer vacation.  They are 
present in the street selling flowers, cigarettes, and other 
small items; in markets helping the family or running 
errands; in small, usually, family-run stores, and as 
apprentices in various small scale  businesses like car 
mechanics and barber shops. Some children, primarily girls 
are also used as domestic help.  Additionally, there are 
anecdotal reports of children working in the agricultural 
sector. 
2A. 1) contd.  Child labor in Tunisia is not widespread 
because school is mandatory and free to the age of 16 and 
there are laws limiting child labor.  However, the laws are 
not always enforced.  There are still school expenses that 
some families find difficult to pay.  Some children are 
expected to help augment the family's income during school 
vacations, and children who are orphans, or have other family 
problems, are sometimes made to fend for themselves.  In 
April 2009 a Tunis court convicted a Tunisian woman to three 
years in prison for subjecting a seven year old girl to 
domestic servitude and physical abuse.  A study published by 
two Tunisian sociologists reported in April 2009 that many 
young women and girls work come from the western province of 
Jendouba to work as domestic in the larger cities.  The 
report also noted the paucity of official statistics on 
domestics and the reluctance of people to talk about the 
issue. 
 
2A. 2) According to UNICEF, the GOT has not published any 
data on child labor for 2009, 2008, or 2007.  A UNICEF global 
report on child protection listed no data on child labor for 
Tunisia from 1999-2008.  The Tunisian French language daily 
Le Temps published two articles on child labor in 2009 (May 
18 and April 1) documenting that the phenomenon exists mainly 
in the form of children working in their family business. 
The articles also confirmed the lack of government statistics 
on the issue. 
 
2B. 1) No new laws were enacted in 2009; 2)  Tunisia's laws 
regarding child labor are adequate when they are enforced. 
The law against child labor specifies that children under the 
age of 16 are allowed to work only for limited hours in 
family establishments and only as long as it does not damage 
their health or mental development or prevent them from 
attending school.  Children under the age of 18 cannot do any 
type of hazardous work. 
2C. 1) The Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity, and 
Tunisians Abroad has the primary responsibility for enforcing 
the child labor laws.  However, the national labor union 
 
(UGTT) also has the ability to do work inspections and has a 
department specifically responsible for women, young workers, 
and associations.  The Ministry of Women, Family, Children, 
and Senior Citizen's Affairs employs a child protection 
delegate in each province who has the authority to intervene 
in certain cases.  2) We know that the GOT does have 
institutional mechanisms for sharing information across 
ministries and agencies but we do not know how effectively 
this works. 3) We have not heard of any specific  mechanism 
for making complaints about hazardous and forced child labor 
violations, however both the UGTT and the Ministry of Social 
Affairs have the ability to make complaints.  Kalima, a 
Tunisian on-line independent news magazine that is not always 
accurate, reported January 29, 2010 that after a complaint by 
the regional delegate for child protection, the police in 
Gabes opened an investigation on January 20 into reports that 
a group of children had been sexually abused by Libyan 
tourists.  Without more specific information from the GOT we 
do not have the data to answer questions 4-14. 
 
2D. 1)   The GOT does not have agencies or personnel 
dedicated to the enforcement of child trafficking.  Questions 
2D (2-12):  We do not have the data to answer these questions 
without specific information from the GOT. 13) Tunisia did 
not experience armed conflict during this reporting period or 
in the recent past. 
 
2E. 1) The GOT has laws against child labor but according to 
UNICEF and ILO did not have an active program to specifically 
combat the problem in 2009.  We reviewed the 2009 budget and 
could not identify any programs specifically related to child 
labor or child exploitation. 2E (2-7) Without specific 
information from the GOT, it is not possible to answer these 
questions related to the GOT's programs. 
 
2F. The GOT does have officials responsible for investigating 
child labor issues, but the GOT did not have a specific 
program to eliminate or prevent child labor in 2009, nor did 
it integrate the issue in other social programs. 
 
2G. Without talking directly to the GOT about its efforts it 
is not possible to infer from information provided in the 
press, or by the responsible international organizations that 
the GOT took any action specifically to combat child labor in 
¶2009. 
 
 
 
GRAY