US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN1838

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001838 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN AND DRL/IL MHARPOLE 
DOL FOR ILAB TFAULKNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, ECON, ELAB, AM 
SUBJECT:  ARMENIA CHILD LABOR REPORT:  EXPLOITIVE CHILD 
LABOR VERY RARE 
 
Refs:  A) STATE 163453  B) YEREVAN 529 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
2. (SBU) Armenia's constitution prohibits child labor, and 
the use of children in the workforce is very rare.  The high 
demand for jobs, especially for unskilled workers, and the 
cultural premium on family and education make it very 
unlikely that employers would give valuable jobs to 
children.  While conventional bonded or slave child labor is 
not a problem in Armenia, the government has taken steps to 
protect all women from trafficking and sexual exploitation 
in response to recent reports of trafficking for 
prostitution (ref B).  End Summary. 
 
---------------------------------- 
ARMENIAN LAW PROHIBITS CHILD LABOR 
---------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) Armenian law provides for solid protection against 
child labor.  Children under the age of 18 may not work at 
night, more than six hours at a time, or in difficult or 
dangerous jobs, even in family businesses.  Children may 
work without a permit from the age of 16.  Children 14 and 
older may only work with permission of a medical commission 
and the local labor union board.  Armenia's Constitutional 
Court has approved ILO Convention 182 for ratification and 
Armenia will likely accede during the Fall 2004 legislative 
session.  The convention's provisions are nonetheless 
already part of Armenian Labor Code and the Law on 
Children's Rights, which prohibits child employment that may 
endanger their health, physical or mental development, or 
may interfere with their education. 
 
----------------------------- 
LITTLE DEMAND FOR CHILD LABOR 
----------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) That there has been no prosecution of a case of 
child labor is more a testament to child labor's rarity than 
to the lack of enforcement.  The Department of Women, Family 
and Children within the Ministry of Labor is charged to 
enforce the Child Protection Law.  Local representatives of 
UNICEF told us that the department's primary concern was 
adoptions and guardianship issues, and that child labor is 
not a significant concern.  We have visited many of the 
major industrial enterprises and farms in Armenia and have 
seen no evidence of child labor.  Rather, the low 
availability of jobs, especially for the unskilled, means 
that factory or farm managers are unlikely to give valuable 
jobs to children. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
ARMENIA IS MAKING EFFORTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
5. (SBU) Government efforts to investigate and prosecute 
trafficking offenses are both at an all-time high for 
Armenia (ref B).  Although none of the known trafficking 
cases involve minors, there is anecdotal evidence that 
traffickers have targeted underage girls in Armenia's 
orphanages.  With international assistance, the GOAM has 
trained its worldwide consular staff to recognize 
trafficking and has collaborated with police in destination 
countries to apprehend traffickers.  Local NGOs have 
launched a media campaign to educate poor communities about 
trafficking and sexual exploitation and also have 
established a hotline to connect victims with community 
assistance groups.  We expect the government to maintain its 
heightened attention to this issue and continue to take 
steps to more effectively prevent and prosecute trafficking- 
related offenses. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
COMMENT: CHILD LABOR NOT PART OF THE CULTURE 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) Armenians value highly both family and education: 
UNICEF reports that only 6 percent of children under 18 do 
not attend school.  Although poverty, the lack of transport, 
and the lack of medical attention to children with special 
needs may keep some children -- especially in rural areas -- 
idle and out of school, Armenian culture would not tolerate 
keeping children from school to take valuable jobs that 
adults are waiting to fill.  While some children doubtless 
work in family businesses, bonded or arduous labor by 
children is unheard of in Armenia.  Recent efforts to 
protect all women from trafficking and sexual exploitation 
include public education targeting minor girls in vulnerable 
populations. 
GODFREY