European Union

Statement

International Labour Conference

113^th session

Geneva, 2-13 June 2025

________

Committee on Application of Standards

Chad

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

(ratification: 2000)

________

Geneva, 04 June 2025

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International Labour Conference

113th Session

Geneva, June 2025

Committee on the Application of Standards

Chad

Worst Forms of Child labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States are committed to the promotion, protection, respect and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights and the fight against child labour, as enshrined in Convention No. 182. We support the ILO’s supervisory system and call for the universal ratification and effective application of fundamental Conventions.

2. We express deep concern at the Committee’s findings regarding Chad over the continued recruitment and use of children under 18 years old by armed groups, including in the Lake Chad basin. We call on the Government to take all the necessary measures to ensure the full and immediate demobilisation of children and to carry out thorough investigation’s prosecutions, and imposition of effective and dissuasive penalties for all perpetrators. We also urge the Government to adopt the long-overdue Child Protection Code, which should include a complaint mechanism and child protection safeguards. 

3. We are also alarmed by the persistence of practices akin to slavery, such as the exploitation of children as cattle herders. These children, some as young as six, remain subjected to semi-slavery conditions. We therefore urge the Government to eliminate these practices as a matter of urgency, ensure accountability and provide detailed information on enforcement and protection measures. 

4. We further regret the continued absence of legislative provisions explicitly criminalising clients of child prostitution and prohibiting and penalizing the use of children in illicit activities such as drug production and trafficking. We urge the Government to adopt specific legal prohibitions and ensure their enforcement. This implies that effective and dissuasive penalties are applied in practice.

5. The situation of mouhadjirin (talibé) children remains of particular concern. These children are highly vulnerable to forced labour, including economic exploitation through organised begging. We reiterate the Committee’s call urging the Government to implement time-bound measures to withdraw them from exploitative situations, provide appropriate rehabilitation and reintegration, and report on progress achieved.

6. We also note with concern the abusive employment of children in domestic work and] the absence of regulation and protection for child domestic workers. We encourage the government to adopt legislative and practical measures, including shelters and oversight mechanisms and to report on the measures taken. 

7. Furthermore, the high prevalence of child labour, including in hazardous conditions, combined with the absence of complaints recorded by labour inspectors, underscores the need to strengthen inspection services and enforcement capacity including in the informal sector]. We call for improved data collection, disaggregated statistics, and transparency on violations and sanctions.

8. Finally, we note the related concerns under Convention No. 138, particularly the gap between the minimum age for employment (14) and the age of completion of compulsory schooling (16), as well as legal inconsistencies that allow children to start apprenticeships, light work and hazardous work at a too young age or without adequate safeguards. We urge the Government to align national legislation with the Convention and ensure that legal frameworks support access to education and training and protect children from exploitation.

9. The EU and its Member States took note of the written information, provided by the Government of Chad on May 16, and encourage the Government to intensify its cooperation with the ILO including the possibility of technical assistance and to engage meaningfully with social partners.

10. We will continue to follow the situation closely and remain ready to support the Government efforts aimed at ensuring compliance with international labour standards and upholding the rights and dignity of all children in the country. 

Thank you, Chair.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.