The Office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Haiti initiated a capacity-building process on child labor in domestic work aimed at representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), the Institute of Well-being and Research (IBESR) and to trade unions, within the framework of the project “Combating child labor in domestic work and the worst forms of child labor” financed by the Government of Norway.

The first workshop has made it possible to strengthen the participants' knowledge of child labor, especially domestic work. Among the activities of the workshop, for example, the ILO Conventions on the minimum age for admission to employment (C138) , the worst forms of child labor (C182) and on domestic workers (C189) were analyzed together .

The attendees highlighted this experience as enriching, for expanding the knowledge base on domestic work of boys and girls, and also key to continue with the prevention and eradication of child labor.

Along these lines, the participants pledged to continue joining forces, to include the issue on their agendas and to work to find ways to generate more and better opportunities for children and adolescents. Likewise, they assumed the commitment and responsibility to inform society and organize campaigns on the subject. 

This initiative has been the first step in the creation of a specialized Focal Points Network, capable of raising awareness and promoting political actions on the subject. In response to the commitments made, this workshop is being replicated by MAST and IBESR to 15 labor inspectors and protection officers from these institutions.

Situation of child domestic work in Haiti

After the earthquake in 2010, the number of working children has been increasing. A  study  carried out by the  FAFO Research Foundation  under the coordination of the ILO and UNICEF together with several other organizations, at the end of 2015, refers to 400 thousand children in child domestic work and more than 207 thousand in hazardous work. In this regard, according to the study's recommendations, local organizations and State institutions work together, with the technical support of the ILO, to be able to progressively eliminate this reality.

Haiti, a member country of the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean free of child labor

Haiti is one of the 27 member countries of the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean free of child labor, created in 2014 with the noble objective of declaring the region free of child labor by 2025.

Their participation, together with that of the other countries, has made it possible to address the problem of child labor in the region in an articulated manner and has strengthened the joint work of the Network of Focal Points of the Regional Initiative.

The commitment of this country to implement new and innovative actions on the subject motivates all the members of the Initiative to continue with dedication their work in the prevention and eradication of child labor, in this case in domestic work and its worst forms.