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

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Lao People's Democratic Republic (Ratification: 2005)

Article 6 of the Convention. Programmes of action. National Action Plan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the National Plan of Action on Anti-Trafficking in Persons Phase III 2021–2025 was adopted and is being implemented by the National Committee on Anti-Trafficking in Persons. Among the measures already taken for its implementation, the Committee notes: (1) the amendment of section 83 of the Law on Tourism with a view to incorporating aspects related to child prostitution and sexual exploitation in the tourism sector; (2) the publication of various communication materials and tools to raise awareness on anti-trafficking in persons namely: posters, brochures, short stories, plays and songs published through online social media; and (3) the establishment of new hotlines, namely the Department of Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Persons’ Hotline 1300, the Counselling and Protection Centre for Women and Children’s Hotline 1362 and the Lao Federation of Trade Union’s Hotline 1512. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken within the framework of the National Plan of Action on Anti-Trafficking in Persons Phase III 2021–2025, and on the results achieved to prevent and combat trafficking of children under 18 years of age. Noting the absence of information on this point, the Committee also once again requests the Government to provide information on the concrete activities of the National Anti-Trafficking Committee with regard to the prevention and elimination of trafficking in children.

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, from the Government’s report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), that: (1) the Education and Sports Sector Development Plan (2021–2025) sets as a high-level outcome the increase in the number of graduates from early childhood education to upper secondary levels, with improved learning outcomes and with a special focus on disadvantaged groups and gender equality; (2) regular and continuous trainings for teachers are conducted as a priority; and (3) free textbooks are provided by the Government to all students as well as learning materials and uniforms for children living in poverty or in remote areas (CRC/C/LAO/7, paras 168, 169 and 172).

The Committee notes, from the 2023 UNICEF Country Office Annual Report, that: (1) enrolment in primary school was high, at 97.7 per cent and the completion rate of primary education was at 96.1 per cent; (2) the transition to lower secondary education was only at 67.3 per cent; (3) the increasing living costs resulted in 51 per cent of households cutting back on education expenses, and the proportion of children aged 6 to 17 years not enrolled in school rose from 6.5 per cent in December 2022 to 11 per cent in June 2023; and (4) the education sector also faces challenges due to a decrease in the total number of teachers. Considering that education is key in preventing the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken, and the results achieved, to ensure that all children have access to free basic education, including through the continued implementation of the Education and Sports Sector Development Plan 2021–25. It also requests the Government to continue to provide updated statistical data on the school enrolment, attendance and completion rates at the primary and lower secondary levels.

Clause (d). Identifying and reaching out to children at special risk. Children living and working on the streets. The Committee notes the Government’s information on the measures taken to provide assistance to children in street situations, including: (1) the organization of activities to reach out to children living and working on the streets to collect information, provide them with information on self-protection and persuade them to leave the street life to return to their families and attend school; (2) the organization of mobile school activities to provide information on self-protection, life skills, nutrition, non-formal education, and activities to support parents in encouraging their children to attend school; and (3) the provision of emergency food assistance and referrals for healthcare to disadvantaged children, youth and families. The Government adds that it intends to continue its efforts to reach out to children in street situations and target communities. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the Government and requests it to continue providing information on the effective and time-bound measures to identify and adequately protect children who are living and working on the streets against the worst forms of child labour. It requests the Government to provide information on the impact of these measures, such as data on the number of children who benefited from these actions and the number of children who were successfully removed from the streets.

Migrant children. In reply to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Department of Employment has developed a programme that will suspend and reject all requests made concerning workers who are under 18 years of age. Recalling its previous observations that Lao girls and boys are found in Thailand in conditions of sexual servitude and forced labour in domestic service, garment factories, and agricultural, fishing and construction industries, the Committee requests the Government to provide more concrete information on the effective and time-bound measures to prevent these children from becoming victims of the worst forms of child labour, and the results achieved.