In 2023, Suriname made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government signed the Third Decent Country Work Program with the International Labor Organization, which includes proactive strategies for the prevention and eradication of child labor. The Ministry of Labor also created a commission that evaluated the 2010 Decree on Hazardous Work for Youth and presented recommendations to update it. Additionally, a representative of the National Commission on Combating Child Labor took part in a regional conference in Peru at which countries shared best practices and agreed to collaborate on a series of activities to combat child labor. However, despite these efforts, the compulsory education age falls below the minimum age for employment, leaving some children vulnerable to labor exploitation. In addition, while Suriname's laws criminalize sexual acts with a minor under 16, they do not criminally prohibit the use of a child under the age of 16 for commercial sex. The government also did not report the number of child labor inspections it conducted in 2023.
| Children | Age | Percent of Population |
|---|---|---|
| Working | 5 to 14 | 7.2% (Unavailable) |
| Hazardous Work by Children | 15 to 17 | Unavailable |
| Attending School | 5 to 14 | 95.3% |
| Combining Work and School | 7 to 14 | 7.3% |
| Sector/Industry | Activity |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Harvesting crops, including the use of dangerous equipment, carrying heavy loads,† and applying pesticides.† Forestry,† fishing, and hunting. |
| Industry | Gold mining,† including carrying heavy loads† and exposure to chemicals.† Construction† and wood processing.† |
| Services | Street work, including vending, domestic work, and airport luggage transportation.† |
| Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡ | Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and use in illicit activities, including selling drugs. |
† 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 at Higher Risk
Children in migrant populations, especially those with irregular status residing in the country, are particularly vulnerable to both sex and labor trafficking due to challenges associated with their precarious legal status. Children in Suriname's remote interior are also subjected to commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, including in informal mining camps.
Barriers to Education Access
Although Suriname’s attendance percentage for primary school is high, it drops significantly for secondary school. Research indicates that there are disparities in education completion rates based on geographic and socioeconomic status, and that secondary school completion rates in the interior are as low as 15 percent. In 2023, schools in the interior did not open until months after schools in the coastal area had already reopened, with delays attributed to lack of facilities, teachers, and supplies, including water, as well as unpaid bills from flight companies that transport teachers to isolated villages. The delay in reopening schools has led to children seeking other activities, including employment in artisanal gold mining. Although children who are not citizens of Suriname can access free public education if they provide a birth certificate and vaccination records, children have been prohibited from accessing school due to a lack of proper paperwork. Migrant parents experience more problems in registering their children for school. Research suggests that families residing illegally in the country have also kept their children out of school to avoid being reported to authorities.
| Standard | Age | Meets International Standards | Legislation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Age for Work | 16 | ✓ | Articles 1 (j–l), 3, and 11 of the Children and Young Persons Labor Act |
| Minimum Age for Hazardous Work | 18 | ✓ | Articles 1 (k and l) and 11 of the Children and Young Persons Labor Act; Article 1 of the Decree on Hazardous Labor for Youth |
| Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children | ✓ | Articles 2 and 3 of the Decree on Hazardous Labor for Youth; Article 11 of the Children and Young Persons Labor Act | |
| Prohibition of Slavery, Debt Bondage, and Forced Labor | ✓ | Articles 334, 338, and 339 of the Penal Code; Article 15 of the Constitution; Article 1 the Children and Young Persons Labor Act | |
| Prohibition of Child Trafficking | ✓ | Article 334 of the Penal Code | |
| Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | ✗ | Articles 291, 293, 297, 298, 303a, and 306 of the Penal Code | |
| Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities | ✗ | ||
| Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment | 18 | ✓ | Article 9 of the Conscription Act |
| Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military | N/A* | ||
| Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups | ✗ | ||
| Compulsory Education Age | 12 | ✗ | Article 39 of the Constitution; Article 20 of the Law on Basic Education |
| Free Public Education | ✓ | Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution |
* Country has no conscription
Suriname's laws do not sufficiently prohibit commercial sexual exploitation of children because while it is criminal to have a sexual relationship with a child under the age of 16, the use of a child under age 16 for commercial sex is not criminally prohibited. In addition, while the Penal Code establishes penalties for the production and trafficking of drugs, it does not specifically prohibit the use, procuring, and offering of a child in the production and trafficking of drugs. Moreover, Article 20 of the Law on Basic Education requires children to attend school only until they are 12 years old. This makes children ages 12 to 16 particularly vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor because they are not legally required to attend school nor are they legally permitted to work.
| Organization/Agency | Role & Activities |
|---|
| Ministry of Labor, Employment Opportunity and Youth Affairs (MOL): Enforces laws related to child labor through its Labor Inspectorate. Reports suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Unit of the Suriname Police Force within 45 minutes of identification. Leading up to the International Day Against Child Labor on June 12, 2023, MOL signed a commitment to accelerate the elimination of Child Labor by 2025 as outlined in the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 8.7. |
| Suriname Police Force: Enforces criminal laws related to child labor. Includes the Youth Affairs Police, which cover law enforcement involving children under age 18 and are responsible for child labor-related crimes. Also includes the TIP Unit, which investigates reports and allegations of human trafficking and forced sexual exploitation nationwide, including cases involving children, and closely collaborates with the Prosecutors’ Office. In 2023, the TIP Unit held multiple awareness sessions on human trafficking for different audiences, including high schools, police officers, NGOs, and authorities working on Suriname’s migration policy. Funding and resources are continuous challenges for the TIP Unit. |
| Overview of Enforcement Efforts | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Has a Labor Inspectorate | Yes |
| Able to Assess Civil Penalties | Yes |
| Routinely Conducted Worksite Inspections | Unknown |
| Unannounced Inspections Permitted | Yes |
| Has a Complaint Mechanism | Yes |
| Imposed Penalties for Child Labor Violations | No |
| Conducted Criminal Investigations for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes | Yes |
| Imposed Penalties for Worst Forms of Child Labor Crimes | No |
It is unknown how many labor inspectors conducted worksite inspections, or whether child labor violations were found. The government also conducted 2 investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor, initiated 1 prosecution, and convicted 0 perpetrators.
| Coordinating Body | Role & Activities |
|---|
| National Commission on Combating Child Labor (NCUK): Inter-departmental commission tasked with drafting and implementing legislation and policies to prevent and combat child labor. In 2023, NCUK met multiple times to discuss updating policies and legislation on child labor as well as proposed projects to prevent child labor. In addition, a member of NCUK took part in a regional conference in Peru at which countries shared best practices and agreed to collaborate on a series of activities to combat child labor. Members also met with visiting representatives of ILO to discuss potential funding opportunities for projects. NCUK's term expired in December 2023, and a proposal for extension has been forwarded to the government for approval. |
| Policy | Description & Activities |
|---|
| National Action Plan to Combat Child Labor (2019–2024): Aims to remove children from child labor and address the root causes of child labor, including poverty and lack of educational opportunities. Recently updated to include regional activities and extend through 2025. However, the updated version still has to be approved by the government. |
| Program | Description & Activities |
|---|
| Decent Work Country Program:* ILO program that supports capacity building of the Labor Inspectorate and constituents, as well as the National Commission on Combating Child Labor for implementing the National Action Plan. In February 2023, Suriname and ILO signed the Third Decent Country Work Program, which includes proactive strategies for the prevention of child labor, sustainable eradication of child labor, and promotion of decent work. Includes a multi-step plan to address child labor through legislative reform, effective enforcement, and improved referral systems. |
| My Line (Mi Lijn):† Government-run, 24-hour hotline that provides confidential advice to children in need, including victims of the worst forms of child labor, victims of domestic violence, and persons in need of mental support. The initiative continued to operate during the reporting period, with limited government support. |
| Consolidating Access to Inclusive Quality Education in Suriname:† Government program, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank, that began an initiative with the goal of providing inclusive access to all levels of education in Suriname, with a specific focus on children in the interior and improving the quality of lower secondary education. In October 2023, held a 2-day seminar with the Ministry of Education for stakeholders on the state of the education system in Suriname to discuss ways in which the education sector can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of employers, while also developing the individual talents of students. |
For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
*Program was launched during the reporting period.
† Program is funded by the Government of Suriname.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.
| Area | Suggested Action |
|---|---|
| Legal Framework | Increase the compulsory education age from age 12 to at least age 16, the minimum age for work. |
| Criminally prohibit the military recruitment of children under age 18 into non-state armed groups. | |
| Criminally prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including the use of a child under age 16 for prostitution. | |
| Criminally prohibit the use, procuring, and offering of a child for illicit activities, including in the production and trafficking of drugs. | |
| Enforcement | Publish information on the Labor Inspectorate's budget and the number of worksite inspections conducted. |
| Ensure that the Labor Inspectorate and the Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Suriname Police Force are sufficiently funded and adequately staffed to cover labor inspections in both the formal and informal sectors of the labor force, including in risk-prone sectors, such as in fisheries, mining, and agricultural areas in which child labor is likely to occur, particularly in the interior of the country. | |
| Ensure that there are sufficient resources, including for travel to the interior of the country, and inspectors to proactively investigate human trafficking cases. | |
| Ensure that the child labor referral system can adequately provide long-term solutions, including housing, to child labor cases that are reported to it. | |
| Government Policies | Ensure that the government policy to address child labor is approved by the government so it is able to carry out its intended mandates. |
| Social Programs | Develop social programs to prevent and eradicate child labor in agriculture and mining. |
| Strengthen specialized social services to assist child victims of human trafficking, including commercial sexual exploitation. | |
| Enhance efforts to eliminate barriers to education, particularly for children in the interior, by eliminating school-related fees, reducing transportation costs, increasing access to schools in remote locations, improving teacher availability, removing requirements for documentation, and covering material missed during school closures. | |
| Ensure that all children, including children of foreign-born parents, have access to free public education regardless of citizenship and residency status, and that school registration is not used to report families without proper residential status. |
