With the support of the ILO, Mauritania bans hazardous child labour

In Mauritania, child labour affects nearly 24,516 children aged 5 to 17, or 37.6% according to the 2015 MICS Mauritania Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 27, 2022/ -- In the framework of the MAP'16 project implemented in Mauritania and financed by USDOL (US Department of Labor) and in accordance with the provisions of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, the Mauritanian Ministry of Public Service and Labour decreed a law listing the dangerous work (LTD) prohibited to children.

Child labour is harmful to a child's body, mind and education because it is done at a very early age or in unsafe conditions, or because it prevents a child from going to school and damages his or her long-term prospects.

The number of children in child labour stands at 160 million worldwide - an increase of 8.4 million over the past four years - and millions more are at risk from the effects of VOC-19, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF.

In Mauritania, child labour affects nearly 24,516 children aged 5 to 17, or 37.6% according to the 2015 MICS Mauritania Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey , of whom 26.3% work in hazardous conditions. The prevalence of child labour is higher in rural areas (45%) than in urban areas (27%).

Since 2001, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has been committed to combating child labour, in particular through the ratification of the two specific conventions of the International Labour Organisation relating to child labour, namely Conventions 138 and 182, respectively on the minimum age for admission to employment and on the worst forms of child labour.

The Ministry of the Civil Service and Labour, with the support of the International Labour Office (ILO), has drawn up the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (PANETE-RIM). As part of its implementation, the social partners, with the support of a consultant, drew up a list of dangerous jobs prohibited to children.