According to the annual report on Child Labor and Forced Labor of the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), of the 26 countries analyzed in the region, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay and Peru have made progress significant. Among the main actions are the strengthening of public policies and the implementation of social programs that combine the improvement of education and the fight against poverty. For example, cash transfer programs conditional on school attendance for boys and girls and food programs and delivery of school supplies.

Compared to the 2014 report, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru remain countries with significant progress; while Colombia, Ecuador and El Salvador presented only moderate progress in 2015, along with Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia and Uruguay. Lastly, the countries of the region classified with minimal progress are Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic; It is worth mentioning that in the report the last two countries mentioned are classified with minimal advance because their laws and practices, respectively, delay the scope of new advances.

USDOL also highlights the region as a leader in the fight against child labor in domestic work; Consequently, the report highlights that for the year evaluated Chile, the Dominican Republic and Panama joined the nine countries in the region that have already ratified  ILO Convention 189  on domestic workers.

Likewise, the report recognizes the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Initiative as part of the government policies implemented by the region, with the objective of increasing regional cooperation through efforts that strengthen the monitoring and coordination of mechanisms, programs of government and South-South exchanges.

On the other hand, the report also refers to the fact that the laws that prohibit hazardous work are still unclear and insufficient and recommends a greater investment of economic and human resources for the issue. To date, there are nine countries that do not have policies on  hazardous work  for people under 18 years of age, or whose laws do not adequately protect these people from activities identified by their own countries as dangerous. The countries are Argentina, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay.

Among the challenges that the region maintains, USDOL mentions that countries can improve and strengthen their policies. Along these lines, it is mentioned that in Bolivia, Belize, Dominica and Guatemala the minimum age allowed for admission to employment may be defined within international standards (15 years and 14 years for some developing countries), but in their political framework there are exceptions authorizing the employment of substandard persons. For example, Bolivia authorizes the work of 10-year-olds under certain requirements and in Guatemala work can be authorized from the age of 14 also under certain circumstances, although they are not specified.

Likewise, armed social conflicts are still a reality in the region. In El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras there is evidence of the recruitment of minors and this is considered one of the worst forms of child labor. In this context, the report mentions that six countries: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, present weak legal protection for cases of use of persons under 18 years of age in illegal activities.

However, the report rescues that in general the countries of the region have committed to promoting decent work and social inclusion, for which the policies will be linked to the eradication of child labor, the promotion of education and training vocational training of young people. In this regard, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Panama have adopted new action plans that improve efforts to combat child labor and regulate permitted adolescent work.

According to figures from the International Labor Organization, 12.5 million children and adolescents are in a situation of child labor in the region, most of them carry out agricultural activities or work on the streets; However, there is also a high number of minors who are victims of the worst forms of child labor, of which indigenous, Afro-descendant and migrant populations are the most vulnerable.

To read the report for each country in the region, click  here .