Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Grenada (Ratification: 2003)

The Committee notes the observations of the Grenada Employers Federation and the Grenada Trade Unions Council, communicated with the Government’s report.

Article 3 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (b). Use, procuring, or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography, or for pornographic performances.Prostitution. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes with interest the Government’s information regarding the amendment of section 188 of the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2012, which: (1) extends the prohibition against procuring both females and males under the age of 21 for prostitution, whether within or outside Grenada; (2) criminalizes trading in prostitution under section 188A, defining the offence as a situation in which a person, for financial gain, exercises control, direction, or influence over the movements of a prostitute in a manner that aids, abets, or compels prostitution; and (3) prohibits under section 188B, the keeping of a brothel, including managing, assisting, or behaving as the person in charge of a brothel. The Committee notes that, by section 188, any of these offences result in a conviction on indictment carrying a penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment. However, the Committee observes that the offence of using a child by a client for prostitution is not covered by the above provisions. The Committee recalls that Article 3(b) of the Convention prohibits not only the procuring or offering but also the use of a child under 18 years of age for prostitution. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure that the use of children under 18 years by a client for prostitution is prohibited. It also requests the Government to provide information on the application in practice of section 188 of the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2012, including information on the numbers and nature of violations reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and penalties imposed on offenders related to the procuring and offering of a child under 18 years for prostitution.

Pornography. The Committee previously requested a copy of the Electronic Crimes Act of 2013. In this regard, the Committee notes that Part II, section 12(2) of the Electronic Crimes Act prohibits the creation, distribution, possession, and access to child pornography, including publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material involving children, promoting or distributing obscene digital content, enticing minors into online activities, recording or possessing child sexual abuse material, and obtaining or accessing child pornography through digital or electronic means. The Committee further notes that, under section 12(4) of the Electronic Crimes Act, these offences are punishable by a fine of two hundred thousand dollars, imprisonment for up to five years, or both, with increased penalties of up to three hundred thousand dollars and imprisonment for up to 20 years, for subsequent convictions.

The Committee further notes that, under section 12(5) of the Electronic Crimes Act, the prohibitions on child pornography established in section 12(2) do not apply to materials such as books, pamphlets, papers, drawings, paintings, representations or writings in electronic form if their publication is justified for the public good in the fields of science, literature, art or learning, or other objects of general concern, or if they are preserved for bona fide heritage or religious purposes. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the application in practice of sections 12(2) and 12(4) of the Electronic Crimes Act of 2013, particularly regarding the prohibition of child pornography, indicating the number of violations registered, prosecutions carried out, and sentences imposed. It requests the Government to clarify the application in practice of section 12(5) of the Electronic Crimes Act of 2013.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. Access to free basic education. The Committee notes the Government’s information on the promulgation of the Education (Amendment) Bill of 2024, which raises the upper age limit for free compulsory schooling under section 2(1) of the Education Act, Chapter 86, increasing it from 16 to 17 years. The Committee also notes the Government’s information regarding the measures taken to reduce school drop-out rates, including the continuation of the Free Tuition, School Lunch, and School Books Programmes for students enrolled in primary and secondary education. It further notes the implementation of universal free education, ensuring that students taking the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment are guaranteed placement in secondary school.

The Committee also notes, from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Planning Education, Building the Future website, the implementation of the Education Sector Plan 2023–2030 Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, implemented by the Ministry of Education to transform and enhance the national education system. The Committee observes that the Education Sector Plan acknowledges school dropouts as a persistent challenge towards the end of secondary school and outlines strategies to reduce drop-out rates and improve student retention. These strategies include, among others, identifying at-risk students, implementing support programmes, ensuring equitable access to education, and establishing school re-entry policies.

The Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government from the Ministry of Education on school enrolment and drop-out rates. It observes that at the primary level, the drop-out rate was 0.35 per cent for the 2020–2021 school year and 0.37 per cent for 2021–2022, while at the secondary level, it was 0.66 per cent and 1.27 per cent, respectively.

The Committee further notes from the Government’s information that Truancy Officers conducted 538 visits between January and February 2024, including 110 visits to schools, 119 to homes, and 194 to the community. An additional 35 visits were carried out by the Royal Grenada Police and the Child Protection Authority. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that statistical figures may not fully reflect the overall situation due to delays in data submissions and that measures are in progress to improve data accuracy.

The Committee notes from the observations of the Grenada Employers Federation that there has been an increase in applicants who have not completed school and calls on the competent authority of Grenada to take further measures to identify students at risk and assist them in completing their secondary education.

The Committee further notes from the Grenada Trade Unions Council observations the need for increased reporting of suspected cases of truancy and the strengthening of the Truancy Officers Unit within the Ministry of Education. The Committee requests the Government to continue to take measures aimed at increasing school enrolment and attendance rates, reducing drop-out rates and the number of out-of-school children, and providing updated information on the results achieved through the implementation of the Education Sector Plan (2023–2030)Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The Committee also requests to continue to provide updated statistical information on primary and secondary school enrolment and drop-out rates and the number of out-of-school children identified by the Truancy Officers.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes that Grenada forms part of the Regional Initiative for a Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour, which aims to reinforce intergovernmental cooperation in combating child labour through preventive action and institutional coordination, both within and between sectors.

The Committee further notes the Government’s statement that no cases of trafficking of children have been reported. It also notes that the observations of the representative organizations of employers and workers expressed concerns with the practical application of the Convention. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to implement the Regional Initiative for a Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour. It requests the Government to provide any available information on the nature, extent, and trends of the worst forms of child labour, the number of children covered by the measures giving effect to the Convention, and the number and nature of infringements reported.