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

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Honduras (Ratification: 1980)

The Committee notes the observations of the Honduran National Business Council (COHEP), received on 29 August 2025. The Committee requests the Government to send its comments in this regard.

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy, labour inspection and application of the Convention in practice. The Committee takes note of the information provided by the Government in its report on the revival of the National Commission for the Elimination of Child Labour (CONETI) in November 2024 and of the actions of the Directorate-General for Social Welfare, which in 2024 carried out guidance activities on child labour for 1,114 people (employers, workers and students).

The Committee notes that, in April 2025, the Ministries of Labour, Education, Agriculture and Industry and Trade formed a multi-sectoral round table to ensure the implementation of the Clear Supply Chains project (2023–2026). The Committee notes that, according to the information available on the official website of the ILO, this project seeks to address the root causes of child labour in supply chains in different countries and, in the case of Honduras, focuses on the coffee supply chain, with technical support from the ILO, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Trade Centre and UNICEF.

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government, according to which, in 2024, 409 inspections related to child labour were carried out. The Committee notes that the National Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the ILO, published the National Child Labour Survey, according to which, in 2023, 1,022,550 children aged 5 to 17 were engaged in child labour, mainly in agriculture, stock-raising and forestry (36.4 per cent).

The Committee notes the observations of COHEP, which indicate that: (1) the Roadmap for the elimination of child labour in all its forms 2021–2025 was ineffective; (2) in 2022–23, technical assistance to CONETI was prioritized for the preparation of the Institutional Strategic Plan (PEI CN 2023–26) and its annual operational plans, with a lower level of tripartite consultation than in previous processes; (3) the Ministry of Labour and Social Security submitted proposals to amend standard PCM 025-2017 on the integration of CONETI and Agreement STSS-317-2022 on the Child Labour Compliance Seal, with a view to strengthening their structure and functioning; and (4) private sector initiatives in coordination with the ILO and the Honduran Coffee Institute, including the “Honduran Coffee Complies” project, have enabled the development and implementation of a comprehensive management system to prevent and eliminate child labour.

While noting the measures taken by the Government, the Committee expresses its concern at the available information indicating a high number of children engaged in child labour in the country. The Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to take the necessary measures to progressively eliminate child labour in all economic activities, particularly in the agriculture, stock-raising and forestry sectors, and to report on the results achieved. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on: (i) whether the Roadmap for the elimination of child labour in all its forms 2021–2025 is still in force and, if not, on new measures or programmes planned to progressively eliminate child labour; (ii) the impact and results of CONETI’s Institutional Strategic Plan (PEI CN 2023–2026); (iii) progress on the proposed amendments to standard PCM 025-2017 and Agreement STSS-317-2022; (iv) the results of the implementation of the Clear Supply Chains project (2023–26) in the coffee sector; and (v) the practical application of the Convention, including data on the nature, extent and trends of child labour, as well as the number of child labour inspections carried out, the violations detected and the penalties imposed disaggregated if possible by age, sex of the victim and type of activity

Article 2(1) and (4). Scope of application and minimum age for admission to employment or work. With regard to its previous comments, the Committee notes the observations of COHEP, which indicate that, to date, no specific legislative measures have been taken to amend section 2(1) of the Labour Code, which excludes agricultural and stock-raising undertakings that do not permanently employ more than ten workers from its scope of application. According to COHEP, no progress has been made in amending section 32(2) of the Labour Code, which enables authorities to authorize the employment of minors in cases in which it is considered indispensable for their subsistence or that of their families, a provision that is contrary to international standards and the principle of a minimum age for admission to employment.

The Committee notes with regret the lack of legislative progress in this regard. Consequently, the Committee once again urges the Government to take the necessary measures to bring the Labour Code and the 2001 Regulations on child labour into conformity with the Code for Children and Young Persons of 1996 and the 2020 Regulations of protected adolescent work, so as to ensure coherence in the legislation and that no child under 14 years of age is authorized to work, including children working in agricultural and stock-raising undertakings that do not permanently employ more than ten workers, and those who work on their own account. It once again requests the Government to provide information on the progress achieved in this regard.