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

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Mauritius (Ratification: 1990)

The Committee notes the observations of the Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers (CTSP) received with the Government’s report.

Article 2(1) of the Convention. Scope of application, labour inspection and application in practice. The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that during the reporting period, 25,269 inspections were conducted, with 7,609 inspections specifically undertaken to detect cases of child labour, and that no case of child labour was detected. The Government adds that one case of child labour was reported to the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations (MoL) and that the case has been referred for prosecution.

The Committee notes that the CTSP, in its observations, alleges that children under the minimum age for work are increasingly found to be engaged in work, including during school hours, in the private sector and the informal economy. According to the CTSP, the rise of the cost of living and of poverty is the main driver for this trend, leading to children dropping out of compulsory education to provide financial support for their families.

The Committee notes the Government’s reply to the CTSP’s observations that: (1) the Workers’ Rights Act 2019 strictly prohibits child labour and provides for robust penalties; (2) anyone can report a case of violation or non-compliance with the labour legislation to the MoL or through other channels; (3) the MoL wrote to the CTSP in July 2025 to request it to report on any cases of child labour to the relevant authorities; and (4) both announced and unannounced labour inspections are undertaken in all sectors of employment. The Committee requests the Government to provide: (i) information on the measures taken to strengthen the capacities of the labour inspection services with a view to ensuring the detection of cases of child labour in all sectors of the economy; and (ii) statistical data on the nature, scope and trends of child labour in the country, indicating the economic activity sectors in which child labour is likely to be more frequent. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number and nature of the violations found or reported and the penalties imposed.

Article 2(2). Raising the minimum age for admission to employment or work. The Committee notes that, according to the Workers’ Rights Act 2019, no person under the age of 16 years shall be employed or work in any occupation. The Committee requests the Government to consider the possibility of notifying the ILO Director-General, with a new declaration, that the minimum age specified at the time of ratification of the Convention has been raised from 15 to 16 years, in accordance with Article 2(2) of the Convention.