Children in Mali engage in the worst forms of child labor, including in hereditary slavery and in armed conflict. (1-6) Children also perform dangerous tasks in agriculture, particularly in the production of cotton and rice. (2,4) Table 1 provides key indicators on children's work and education in Mali.

Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2017, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2020. (7)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2015. (8)

Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children's work by sector and activity.

† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children, especially of the Bellah community (also known as black Tuaregs), are subject to hereditary slavery in northern and southwestern Mali. (1,4,18,30,31) Some children are born into slavery, while others are born free, but remain in dependent status through which they, along with their parents, are forced to work for their parents' former masters in exchange for food, money, and lodging. Child slaves perform agricultural or domestic labor and are often sexually abused. (31,32) In addition, children, particularly those of Songhai ethnicity, work in debt bondage in the northern salt mines of Taoudenni. (31,33) In 2019, the Malian National Commission on Human Rights identified 125 displaced child slaves from the southwestern region of Mali. (4)

Children involved in artisanal gold mining in western and southern Mali are exposed to toxic substances and extreme temperatures, transport heavy loads, and work long hours. (4,13-16) Some boys placed in the care of Koranic teachers for education are forced by their teachers to beg on the street or to work in fields, after which they must surrender the money they have earned to their teachers. (4,13,31,33)

Intermittent fighting and violence in central and northern Mali continued in 2019, resulting in the killing and displacement of children. (34,35) Children continued to be forcibly recruited and trained by non-state armed groups, including the Coordination of Movements for Azawad, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, the High Council for the Unity of Azawad, the Arab Movement of Azawad, and Tuareg Imghad and Allies Self-Defense Group (GATIA), all signatories of the 2015 Peace Accord. (5,28,34,36)

During the reporting period, the Directorate for the Promotion of Children and Family within the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Children, and Family reported identifying 62 cases of children used by armed groups. The Directorate for the Promotion of Children and Family reported that 32 of the 62 children removed from armed groups were reunited with their families. (4) UNICEF also reported identifying at least 39 cases of child soldiers, and other cases of forced recruitment of child soldiers during the reporting period are being confirmed. (4,34,36)

Although the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education, many children, especially girls, do not attend school because parents are expected to pay fees for registration, uniforms, books, and materials, which are prohibitive for many impoverished families. (2,4,18,33,37,38,57) Many children in Mali are not registered at birth, which may prevent them from accessing services such as education. (2,4,33,39,40) In addition, evidence suggests that incidences of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including corporal punishment, prevent some children from remaining in school. (18,33,41)

In 2019, numerous attacks on schools in northern Mali resulted in lootings, destruction of learning materials and infrastructure, and occupancy of school facilities by armed groups. (4,27,42) A total of 1,217 schools in conflict-affected zones remained closed throughout the reporting period, as many teachers and students remained displaced. (4,42-44) In addition, between December 2018 and May 2019, the majority of primary and secondary school teachers throughout the country went on a series of non-continuous strikes causing many more schools to close. The Ministry of Education extended classes until July 2019 to salvage the school year. (45,46) The lack of access to education and lack of teacher availability may increase the risk of children's involvement in the worst forms of child labor. (4,47)

Mali has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).

The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Mali's legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment by non-state armed groups and use of children in illicit activities.

‡ Age calculated based on available information (53)

Articles 189.35 and 189.36 of the Labor Code allow children between the ages of 12 and 14 to perform domestic or light seasonal work, as long as it does not impede school attendance or exceed 4.5 hours of work per day. (49) The light work framework does not meet international standards as it applies to children under the age of 13. Additionally, the law does not specify the conditions under which light work may be undertaken. (48,58,109)

Although Mali's Trafficking in Persons Law criminalizes trafficking for the purpose of slavery, it does not more broadly criminalize the act of slavery and Mali's labor code, while prohibiting forced labor generally, does not specifically prohibit hereditary slavery. In addition, Malian law does not prohibit using, procuring, or offering a child for the production and trafficking of drugs as established by international standards. (1,2,24,52,54)

The Child Protection Code provides protection for children under age 18, and the Penal Code establishes criminal penalties for several of the worst forms of child labor. (13,53,54) However, some offenses included in the Child Protection Code do not have criminal penalties, such as the prohibition of military recruitment by non-state armed groups. (53,54) Although the Child Protection Code prohibits children under age 18 from participating in armed conflicts or joining the armed forces, it only provides for imprisonment of perpetrators in the case of repeat offenses. Meanwhile, the Penal Code only provides criminal penalties if the children are under age 15. (53,54,59)

Article 28 of the Penal Code states that crimes committed out of self-defense or under a force that could not be resisted should not be penalized as prescribed by the Penal Code. Although an Inter-Ministerial Circular on the Prevention, Protection, and Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers states that Article 28 of the Penal Code is applicable to children involved in armed conflict, the Circular does not define the age range of the children it covers. (53,60) This means that some children under age 18 who are affiliated with non-state armed groups may be penalized as a direct result of being a victim of the worst forms of child labor. (53,60)

In 2019, the government began working on several new laws and amendments that would strengthen protections for children. The government published a new mining code which prohibits child labor in traditional mines and drafted a new law on migrant smuggling which will carry increased penalties for the exploitation of migrant children. (4,34,61-63) The Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with UNODC, revised the 2012 Anti-Trafficking Law to provide aggravated penalties if trafficking is committed against a child under the age of 18 when previously aggravated penalties were only applied if the child was under 15 years of age. However, and the drafts of the migrant smuggling law and anti-trafficking law are pending government approval. (4,34,61)

The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Ministry of Labor that may hinder adequate enforcement of their child labor laws.

Labor Law Enforcement

In 2019, labor law enforcement agencies in Mali took actions to combat child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Ministry of Labor that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including insufficient financial and human resource allocation.

The number of labor inspectors is likely insufficient for the size of Mali's workforce, which includes approximately 6.5 million workers. According to the ILO's technical advice of a ratio approaching 1 inspector for every 40,000 workers in less developed countries, Mali would employ about 161 inspectors. (68-71) Although all regions have labor inspectors, government services are limited or non-existent in some areas due to the insecurity caused by the presence of non-state armed groups. (2,4,68) In addition, reports indicate that a lack of trained staff, equipment, transportation, and funding hampered both the National Unit to Fight Against Child Labor (CNLTE) and the labor inspectorate's ability to conduct child labor inspections and legal proceedings, especially in remote areas of northern Mali. (4,33,58,68,72)

During the reporting period, the government increased the National Directorate of Labor's budget by approximately $100,000 compared to 2018, which led to an increase of $15,000 for the labor inspectorate. The labor inspectorate conducted 671 inspections in 2019 and identified 13,772 labor law violations. (4) The CNLTE also reported that it conducted labor inspections on private farms, where children are more likely to be involved in child labor. In addition, the Brigade for the Protection of Morals and Children (BPMC) reported identifying five victims of child labor and investigated an additional four cases of child domestic workers, but the reported number of child labor victims is likely lower than the actual number of victims given the widespread nature of child labor and inadequate enforcement of child labor laws in Mali. (4) However, the government did not provide the number of child labor violations found, the number of penalties imposed, or the number of penalties imposed that were collected during the year for inclusion in this report.

Criminal Law Enforcement

In 2019, criminal law enforcement agencies in Mali took actions to combat child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including insufficient financial and human resource allocation.

In 2019, the BPMC employed 25 staff, 3 fewer than in 2018. In addition, the BPMC noted that many of its expert staff members were transferred to the newly created Brigade to Fight Clandestine Immigration and Human Trafficking, and the BPMC received newer police officers. (4,68) According to the BPMC, the number of law enforcement agents is inadequate given the prevalence of the worst forms of child labor in the country. However, the BPMC reported that the government plans to increase its personnel in 2020. (4)

During the reporting period, the Ministry of Justice conducted anti-trafficking trainings for government officials and community leaders in Gao, Timbuktu, and artisanal gold mining areas. In addition, the Government of Mali provided $100,000 in funding to NGOs to conduct anti-trafficking trainings in artisanal gold mining areas. (34) The trainings educated 400 stakeholders on the national anti-trafficking law and on victim identification and referral in local languages. (34)

Despite these efforts to increase training and resources, research found that the Government of Mali lacks trained staff, equipment, transportation, and funding to adequately conduct criminal law enforcement efforts related to the worst forms of child labor, particularly in remote areas. (4,31,68,73) Reports indicate that because of political instability, which may hinder labor and criminal law enforcement efforts in northern Mali, the prevalence of hereditary slavery, forced labor, and trafficking in persons has worsened since the conflict began in 2012. (4,31,33,68,74)

In 2019, the BPMC arrested two Koranic teachers who were perpetrators of forced child begging and who exploited five children between the ages of 5 and 10. (4,34) The Ministry of Justice also reported that there were at least 33 new trafficking in persons cases under investigation and pending trials, and at least 30 additional cases relating to hereditary slavery were either investigated or prosecuted during the reporting period. However, in both cases, it is unknown whether any victims were children. (34) In addition, many justice sector actors noted government officials' interference in cases involving slavery-related practices in an effort to have the charges dismissed. (34)

During the reporting period, a Malian NGO reported that a total of 106 trafficking victims were assisted in collaboration with the government. This included a Malian female child victim of sex trafficking identified in Senegal who was repatriated to Mali, 28 foreign national children identified in Mali and repatriated to their countries of origin, and 13 Malian children who were identified as internal victims of migrant smuggling and trafficking. (34)

Research identified that a general in the Malian Armed Forces is also leading GATIA, a pro-government armed group. Research found evidence that the government provided in-kind support to GATIA, which forcibly recruited and used children in armed conflict during the reporting period. (2,20,31,34,36,75-77) In 2019, it was discovered that Malian army officials recruited and used 24 children between the ages of 9 and 16 to work in domestic support roles for at least 2 years in exchange for food. The children were eventually released in November 2019 after repeated high-level engagement by the UN and international governments. (4,20,34,36,75-79) However, in both cases, it is unknown whether the government prosecuted perpetrators or sanctioned government officials for forced recruitment and use in support roles of children in armed conflict.

The government has established mechanisms to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including lack of clarity about the roles of coordinating bodies.

Reports indicate that there is confusion with regard to roles and a lack of coordination between the CNLTE and the National Coordinating Committee for the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons and Associated Practices. (28,31,74)

The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including insufficient funding and ineffective implementation.

‡ The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor. (2,4,89-93)

In 2019, the government participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including adequacy of efforts to address the problem in all sectors.

* Program was launched during the reporting period. (4)

‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (2,4,104-107)

Mali does not fund or participate in programs to address child labor in domestic work, forced begging, or commercial sexual exploitation. (108)

An informal referral mechanism exists among NGOs, UN bodies, police, and other government agencies to allow withdrawal of children from armed conflict and provide social services to victims of the worst forms of child labor. (4,28,68) Despite these efforts, reports indicate that resources and facilities available to social services agencies are inadequate. (4,31,33,68)

Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Mali (Table 11).

1. ILO Committee of Experts. Individual Direct Request concerning Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) Mali (ratification: 1960). Published: 2017.
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2. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. February 23, 2018.

3. American Bar Association. Continuing to Combat Descent-based Slavery and Forced Child Labor in Mali. July 2017.
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4. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. February 14, 2020.

5. UN Secretary General. Report of the Secretary-General: Children and Armed Conflict. June 9, 2020: A/74/845–S/2020/525. Source on file.

6. U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report-2020: Mali. Washington, DC. June 25, 2020.
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7. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes (%). Accessed March 1, 2020. For more information, please see "Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions" in the Reference Materials section of this report.
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8. ILO. Analysis of Child Economic Activity and School Attendance Statistics from National Household or Child Labor Surveys. Original data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2015, 2015, Analysis received March 2020. Please see "Children's Work and Education Statistics: Sources and Definitions" in the Reference Materials section of this report.

9. Government of Mali. Plan d'Action National pour l'Elimination du Travail des Enfants au Mali. 2010. Source on file.

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11. UCW. The Twin Challenges of Child Labour and Educational Marginalisation in the ECOWAS Region: An Overview. July 1, 2014. Source on file.

12. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. January 22, 2015.

13. ILO Committee of Experts. Individual Observation concerning Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) Mali (ratification: 2000). Published: 2016.
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16. Vella, Heidi. Mining in Mali: balancing prospects and problems. Mining Technology, July 2, 2017.
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18. UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Concluding observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Mali. July 25, 2016: CEDAW/C/MLI/CO/6-7.
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20. U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2019: Mali. Washington, DC, June 24, 2019.
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21. Connection Ivorienne. 38 enfants interceptés au Burkina en partance pour des sites d'orpaillage en Côte-d'Ivoire et au Mali. February 4, 2020.
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22. Le Quotidien. Traite et trafic d'enfants dans les sites d'orpaillage : Kédougou, le drame des mineurs. October 2, 2019.
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23. U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2017: Mali. Washington, DC, June 27, 2017.
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24. ILO Committee of Experts. Individual Direct Request concerning Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) Mali (ratification: 2000). Published: 2015.
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25. Coulibaly, Diango. Exploitation sexuelle des enfants à des fins commerciales: La coordination ECPAT Luxembourg-Mali lance son rapport. Le Reporter, October 11, 2017.
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26. Nigerian Tribune. Over 5000 Nigerian girls forced into prostitution in Mali - NAPTIP. March 1, 2017.
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27. UN Human Rights Council. Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali. January 21, 2019: A/HRC/40/77.
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28. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. February 28, 2019.

29. Jeune Afrique, and Agence France-Presse. L'ONU dénonce la présence d'enfants soldats et de mineurs prisonniers au nord du Mali. August 11, 2017.
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30. ILO Committee of Experts. Individual Direct Request concerning Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) Mali (ratification: 1960). Published: 2015.
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31. U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report- 2018: Mali. Washington, DC, June 28, 2018.
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32. Government of the United Kingdom. Country Information and Guidance. Mali: The Bellah (also known as the 'black Tuareg'), April 2016.
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33. U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2018: Mali. Washington, DC, March 13, 2019.
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34. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. March 2, 2020.

35. Le Point. Ce sort douloureux fait aux enfants par le terrorisme dans le Sahel. January 28, 2020.
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36. UN Security Council. UN Security Council. Report of the Secretary-General: Children and Armed Conflict. A/73/907–S/2019/509. June 20, 2019.
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37. Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme, de l'Enfant et de la Famille. Exposé liminaire De Madame la ministre de la promotion de la femme de l'enfant et de la famille. July 15, 2016.
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38. Studio Tamani. Au Mali, deux enfants sur trois travaillent. June 12, 2016.
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39. U.S. Embassy- Bamako official. E-mail communication to USDOL official. March 29, 2017.

40. Michal, Isabelle and Kelly Sipp. Birth certificates issued by Mali open doors for Mauritanian refugee children. UNHCR, April 20, 2015.
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41. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children. Corporal punishment of children in Mali. June 2015.
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42. Malijet.co. Insecurite: Près de 2 000 écoles fermées au Sahel. March 3, 2020.
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43. Human Rights Watch. World Report 2019: Mali. 2019.
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44. RFI. Mali: l'Unicef envisage « des solutions localisées pour les écoles fermées » January 6, 2019.
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45. BBC Afrique. Les enseignants maliens réclament des primes. April 12, 2019.
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46. Bamada.net MALI / GRÈVES DES ENSEIGNANTS: PROLONGATION DE L'ANNÉE SCOLAIRE JUSQU'À FIN JUILLET May 30, 2019.
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47. Ryeng, Helen Sandbu, and Cindy Cao. Striving for uninterrupted learning for every child in Mali. UNICEF, November 7, 2017.
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48. Government of Mali. Law 2017-021 modifying the Labor Code. June 12, 2017.
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49. Government of Mali. Code du Travail, Loi N° 92-020. Enacted: September 23, 1992.
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50. Government of Mali, Ministry of Labor, Civil Service, and State Reforms. Arrete N° 9-0151-MTFPRE/DG du 4 fevrier 2009 completant la liste des travaux dangereux interdits aux enfants de moins de 18 ans. Enacted: February 4, 2009. Source on file.

51. Government of Mali. Arrete 2017-4388 Amendment to List of Hazardous Work for Children Under 18. December 29, 2017. Source on file.

52. Government of Mali. Projet de loi relatif a la lutte contre la traite des personnes et les pratiques assimilees, Depot N°20 10 I 51 I 4L. Enacted: 2012. Source on file.

53. Government of Mali. Code pénal, Loi N° 01-079. Enacted: August 20, 2001.
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54. Government of Mali. Code de protection de l'enfant, Loi N° 02-062/P-RM. Enacted: June 5, 2002.
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57. Government of Mali. La Constitution du Mali. Enacted: 1992.
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68. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. January 30, 2019.

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73. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. February 19, 2019.

74. U.S. Embassy- Bamako. Reporting. February 12, 2018.

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