USDOL – US Department of Labor (Author): “2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Ecuador”, Document #2082709

2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Ecuador

Significant Advancement

In 2021, Ecuador made significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Attorney General's Office trained over 2,000 prosecutors and administrative staff on sexual crimes against minors and trafficking in persons. The Ministries of Labor and Social and Economic Inclusion also developed inspection plans in the agricultural sector in rural areas, a sector that had previously been lacking in inspections, and worked with their counterparts in Colombia to establish mechanisms to address child labor in the illegal mining sector along the Ecuador-Colombia border. Under the National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, the government held various anti-trafficking trainings for labor inspectors, prosecutors, and police officers, among others. In addition, the Business Network for a Child Labor Free Ecuador - a public-private partnership helmed by the Ministry of Labor - also continued its work with 73 business entities, focusing on child labor issues in the priority sectors of bananas, flowers, fishing, and mining. However, children in Ecuador are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also engage in dangerous tasks in mining. Although the government continued efforts to eradicate child labor, the National Project to Eradicate Child Labor formally ended in December 2021 and a replacement program or institutional body has not been identified.

I. Prevalence and Sectoral Distribution of Child Labor

Children in Ecuador are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also engage in dangerous tasks in mining. (1,2) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Ecuador.

**Table 1. Statistics on Children’s Work and Education**
Children	Age	Percent
Working (% and population)	5 to 14	8.2 (302,796)
Working children by sector	5 to 14
Agriculture		89.9
Industry		2.0
Services		8.1
Attending School (%)	5 to 14	97.0
Combining Work and School (%)	7 to 14	8.9
Primary Completion Rate (%)		104.4

Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2018, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2021. (3)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization’s Analysis of Statistics from Encuesta Nacional de Empleo, Desempleo y Subempleo (ENEMDU), 2019. (4)

Although the National Council for Inter-Generational Equity worked closely with the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) to complete a partial study on child labor that was published in early 2019, the government has not conducted a comprehensive nationwide child labor survey since 2012. Both government and civil society agree that a lack of updated statistics hampers efforts in eradicating child labor. (1,5-7)

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

**Table 2. Overview of Children's Work by Sector and Activity**
Sector/Industry	Activity
Agriculture	Production of bananas, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and flowers - primarily for domestic consumption; including the use of chemical products† and machetes† (5,6,8-11,12)
	Fishing† (1,11)
	Hazardous work in the carving† and threading† of abacá fiber (1,12)
Industry	Gold mining† and small-scale mining† (9,10)
	Production of bricks† (9,10)
	Construction † and brickwork (1,5,6)
Services	Domestic work† (8,12)
	Street work, including begging and vending (1,11,13)
Categorical Worst Forms of Child Labor‡	Commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking (8,15)
	Use in illicit activities, including drug trafficking and robbery, sometimes as result of human trafficking (1,7,11)
	Recruitment of children by Colombian non-state armed groups for use in armed conflict, sometimes as a result of human trafficking (11,14)
	Use in the production of pornography (1,2)
	Forced labor in small scale banana plantations as well as palm plantations, cacao, coffee, floriculture, mining; and in domestic work, street vending, and begging (1,11,12)

† 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.

Civil society and government sources reported incidences of Peruvian adolescents being recruited under false promises of employment into forced labor in illegal mines in Ecuador. (1,16,17,18) Migrant and refugee children from Colombia and Venezuela are particularly vulnerable to street work, including forced begging. They are also vulnerable to exploitative labor practices in some parts of the fishing sector in the coastal region and artisanal mining in southern Ecuador and particularly in the northern province of Imbabura. (1,5,6,16,19) Indigenous children between the ages of 6 and 10 from the highlands are victims of trafficking in forced begging in Guayaquil and Quito, initially under false promises of employment. (1,9,20)

Migrant and refugee children from other Latin American countries and indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian girls are used in child prostitution. (1,5,6,11,21) Child prostitution in Ecuador also occurs near illegal mining sites. (1,22) Venezuelan, Colombian, and Peruvian girls are victims of sex trafficking in Ecuador, particularly in irregular border crossing areas. (2,11,12) Networks for commercial sexual exploitation, including sex trafficking, also recruit children from schools, and, increasingly, through social media platforms. (2,19) Traffickers force children into criminality, recruiting them to engage in drug trafficking and robbery. (1,11)

Despite education being free in Ecuador, children face barriers to accessing education including lack of space and teachers, inadequate school infrastructure, teen pregnancy, and lack of transportation for children who must attend schools far from their homes. (5,6,16)

Due to the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of an estimated 4.6 million students attended hybrid in-person/virtual schooling, or exclusively virtual schooling, during the reporting period. (1) A lack of access to the Internet or electronic devices increased absentee and dropout rates, especially in rural areas. (1) Reports indicate that approximately 110,000 children abandoned their studies as a result of continued school closures. (1) Reports indicate that as many as 65 percent of school-age Venezuelan refugee and migrant children are not enrolled in Ecuador’s educational system. While identity documents are not required for attending school, some local officials demanded these documents for processing enrollment applications for refugee and migrant children. (1,6)

II. Legal Framework for Child Labor

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

**Table 3. Ratification of International Conventions on Child Labor**
Convention	Ratification
ILO C. 138, Minimum Age	✓
ILO C. 182, Worst Forms of Child Labor	✓
UN CRC	✓
UN CRC Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict	✓
UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography	✓
Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons	✓

The government's laws and regulations are in line with relevant international standards (Table 4).

**Table 4. Laws and Regulations on Child Labor**
Standard	Meets International Standards	Age	Legislation
Minimum Age for Work	Yes	15	Article 46 of the Constitution; Article 82 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code (23,24)
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work	Yes	18	Article 87 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code (24)
Identification of Hazardous Occupations or Activities Prohibited for Children	Yes		Articles 5, 6, and 8 of Resolution No. 016 of 2008; Article 5 of Ministerial Accord MDT–2015–0131 (25,26)
Prohibition of Forced Labor	Yes		Articles 82, 91, 105, and 213 of the Integral Penal Code (27)
Prohibition of Child Trafficking	Yes		Articles 47, 91, and 92 of the Integral Penal Code; Article 117 of the Organic Law on Human Mobility (28,29)
Prohibition of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children	Yes		Articles 91 and 100–104 of the Integral Penal Code (27)
Prohibition of Using Children in Illicit Activities	Yes		Articles 47, 219, and 220 of the Integral Penal Code (27)
Minimum Age for Voluntary State Military Recruitment	Yes	18	Article 57 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code; Article 161 of the Constitution (23,24)
Prohibition of Compulsory Recruitment of Children by (State) Military	N/A*
Prohibition of Military Recruitment by Non-state Armed Groups	Yes		Article 127 of the Integral Penal Code; Article 57 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code; Article 161 of the Constitution (22,23,26)
Compulsory Education Age	Yes	15	Article 38, 42, and 43 of the Organic Intercultural Education Law (24)
Free Public Education	Yes		Article 4 of the Organic Intercultural Education Law; Chapter 5, Article 28 of the Constitution (23,29)

*Country has no conscription (23)

III. Enforcement of Laws on Child Labor

The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5).

**Table 5. Agencies Responsible for Child Labor Law Enforcement**
Organization/Agency	Role
Ministry of Labor (MOL)	Enforces child labor laws. Through the National Project to Eradicate Child Labor (PETI), monitors and identifies cases of child labor; assesses penalties; promotes public awareness campaigns to prevent child labor; provides technical assistance to local governments on child labor; and identifies victims of child labor for the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) to provide social services. (1,6) Using the Unified System of Registration of Child Labor (SURTI), collects information on child laborers and refers children to appropriate government services. (1,6)
Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion (MIES), Office of Special Protection to Vulnerable Populations	Conducts routine inspections in the informal sector for child labor and provides remediation services to child laborers and their families. (5,6,16) Through its Office of Special Protection to Vulnerable Populations, maintains a national anti-child labor program involving coordination with civil society organizations and local governments. (1,6) Finances the activities of these organizations at the local level and focuses on familial child labor and child labor in the informal sector. (1,6)
Attorney General’s Office (AGO)	Enforces criminal laws against child labor and hazardous child labor, including the prosecution of cases. (8,17) The AGO's Specialized Victim Witness Protection Program provides immediate support and shelter to victims and witnesses willing to press charges and testify against their abusers, and coordinates referrals for further assistance with other government agencies. (17)
Ministry of Government (MOG)	Oversees the National Unit for the Investigation and Protection of Children and Adolescents (UNIPEN). (1) UNIPEN investigates all crimes against children, including abuse, sexual exploitation, sex tourism, smuggling, kidnapping, exploitative child labor, and forced labor. (1) UNIPEN's National Investigative Unit against Trafficking in Persons and Illicit Smuggling of Migrants also investigates child trafficking cases, assists victims, and arrests traffickers. (1,29)

Labor Law Enforcement

In 2021, labor law enforcement agencies in Ecuador took actions to address child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Ministry of Labor (MOL) that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including insufficient human resource allocation.

**Table 6. Labor Law Enforcement Efforts Related to Child Labor**
Overview of Labor Law Enforcement	2020	2021
Labor Inspectorate Funding	$2,874,793 (32)	$2,187,168 (8)
Number of Labor Inspectors	160 (32)	117 (8)
Mechanism to Assess Civil Penalties	Yes (32,33)	Yes (31)
Initial Training for New Labor Inspectors	Yes (32)	Yes (8)
Training on New Laws Related to Child Labor	N/A (7)	Yes (1)
Refresher Courses Provided	Yes (2)	N/A (14)
Number of Labor Inspections Conducted	7,559 (32)	12,335 (8)
Number Conducted at Worksite	7,559 (2)	12,335 (8)
Number of Child Labor Violations Found	6 (32)	5 (8)
Number of Child Labor Violations for Which Penalties Were Imposed	3 (32)	19 (1)
Number of Child Labor Penalties Imposed that Were Collected	3 (32)	19 (8)
Routine Inspections Conducted	Yes (34)	Yes (8)
Routine Inspections Targeted	Yes (2)	Yes (8)
Unannounced Inspections Permitted	Yes (33)	Yes (8)
Unannounced Inspections Conducted	Yes (32)	Yes (8)
Complaint Mechanism Exists	Yes (32)	Yes (8)
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Labor Authorities and Social Services	Yes (32)	Yes (8)

Officials from the National Project to Eradicate Child Labor (PETI) accompanied labor inspectors for 5,990 verifications and labor inspections. They assisted labor inspectors in identifying child labor infractions and provided technical advice on current legal regulations and the process to hire adolescents between 15 and 17 years of age in permitted activities. (1) The MIES also participated in join inspections with the MOL in street stands, slaughterhouses, and other locations where child labor tended to be most prevalent. (1) The PETI program and the MOL proactively collaborated on inspection plans, prioritizing inspections in the agricultural sector in rural areas, a sector that had previously been lacking in inspections. (1,16) Although the MIES reported 5 child labor violations found, they reported 19 penalties imposed for violations of the worst forms of child labor because companies were found in violation under five different codes of the law. (15)

In 2021, there were 117 labor inspectors in Ecuador, a decrease of 43 inspectors from 2020. (1) The overall labor inspectorate budget and the PETI budgets both decreased in 2021. (1) There are also no inspectors in the country dedicated only to child labor issues. (1) The number of labor inspectors is likely insufficient for the size of Ecuador’s workforce, which includes approximately 7.5 million workers. According to the ILO’s technical advice of 1 inspector for every 15,000 workers in developing economies, Ecuador would need to employ roughly 502 labor inspectors. (33,34)

The MOL also reported that the labor inspectorate lacked the necessary resources, such as transportation and equipment, to fulfill its mandate. (5) Furthermore, inspectors do not have sufficient knowledge of child labor laws and lack training on identifying victims of trafficking in persons. (19,17) While Ecuador's labor inspectors do carry out inspections in the informal sector, they focus primarily on formal sector employment. (1) Although Ecuadorian laws and regulations governing child labor are comprehensive, those regarding hazardous work are not enforced equally in rural areas and family-run businesses. (1) The government does not publish information from the Unified System of Registration of Child Labor (SURTI). (17)

Criminal Law Enforcement

In 2021, criminal law enforcement agencies in Ecuador took actions to address child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the criminal enforcement agencies that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including a lack of resources to adequately investigate trafficking in persons cases.

**Table 7. Criminal Law Enforcement Efforts Related to Child Labor**
Overview of Criminal Law Enforcement	2020	2021
Initial Training for New Criminal Investigators	Yes (32)	Yes (8)
Training on New Laws Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor	N/A (7)	N/A (8)
Refresher Courses Provided	Yes (34)	N/A (14)
Number of Investigations	330 (32)	479 (8)
Number of Violations Found	Unknown (2,34)	Unknown
Number of Prosecutions Initiated	277 (32)	Unknown
Number of Convictions	Unknown (2)	Unknown
Imposed Penalties for Violations Related to the Worst Forms of Child Labor	Yes (32)	Yes (8)
Reciprocal Referral Mechanism Exists Between Criminal Authorities and Social Services	Yes (32)	Yes (8)

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) reported finding 227 victims under the age of 18 involved in 6 types of criminal violations related to the worst forms of child labor in 2021. (1) They also reported that until November 2021, 32 minors were rescued and transferred to the Specialized Victim Witness Protection Program (SPAVT), 5 of whom were victims of trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (1) The MIES assisted 11,700 children and adolescents vulnerable to child labor during the reporting period. (1) Numbers on convictions were also not available, but the AGO reported that 12 individuals were indicted or "processed" for child labor crimes during the reporting period. (1)

The AGO also conducted several virtual and in-person trainings through the Directorate of Training and Mission Strengthening during the reporting period. These included a training in April for over 2,000 prosecutors and administrative staff on sexual crimes against minors and a training in October for 29 prosecutors and administrative staff on anti-trafficking in persons efforts. (1) The MOG also conducted various trainings for labor inspectors, prosecutors, specialized police units, and other staff, including new employees from the National Police's specialized units on issues related to human trafficking and amendments to the Criminal Law. (1) Ecuador's Judicial Council signed a framework agreement with the Judicial Power of Peru to strengthen judicial cooperation on trafficking in persons crimes and other issues. (2)

Civil society reports that the National Investigative Unit and DINAPEN lack resources to investigate trafficking in persons cases adequately. (30) A reciprocal referral mechanism exists between law enforcement and social services for victims of human trafficking; however, civil society reports that the mechanism is at times ad hoc. (1) Shelters serve only girls who have been victims of sex trafficking. There are no specialized shelters for boys or girls who have been victims of labor trafficking. (2) Although the MIES will generally assign child victims to shelters depending on space availability, officials cite a lack of shelters in many provinces as a primary constraint in victim assistance. (5,16,19,35,36)

IV. Coordination of Government Efforts on Child Labor

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 a lack of provision of social services for victims of the worst forms of child labor.

**Table 8. Key Mechanisms to Coordinate Government Efforts on Child Labor**
Coordinating Body	Role & Description
Inter-Agency Committee for the Eradication of Child Labor	Coordinates government efforts to combat child labor. Includes participation from MOL, MOG, AGO, and MIES. (1,15) Regional councils on children and adolescence represent local governments on the committee. (5) Coordinated government efforts to combat child labor in 2021 under the Lenin Moreno administration, but following the change in presidents in May, did not meet again. (1) The government did not report any clear replacement body for this committee. (1)
Inter-Agency Sub-Committee for the Eradication of Child Labor (Mesa Interinstitucional de Erradicación del Trabajo Infantil)	Coordinates regional efforts to address child labor. (36) Participants include MIES; Regional Councils of Childhood and Adolescence; ministries of Education, Labor, and Interior; DINAPEN; and AGO. (35,36) Local committees worked with the MOL to coordinate work on child labor eradication and report cases of child labor via the SURTI system during the reporting period.(1)
Inter-Institutional Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons and Illicit Traffic in Migrants	Coordinates government efforts to address human trafficking through prevention and the promotion of rights, the integral protection of the rights of victims, and investigation and sentencing. (37) Chaired by the Ministry of Government and established as part of the National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, Sexual and Labor Exploitation, and Other Forms of Exploitation (1,37) This committee met periodically during the reporting period to coordinate anti-trafficking in persons efforts and developed a reporting mechanism to help schools deal with potential trafficking cases. (1,2)
Technical Secretariat for Ecuador's Growth Without Child Malnutrition	Establishes food and nutritional security as a national policy to improve children's health and nutrition as a baseline priority for youth wellbeing. (8) Created in May 2021 as a replacement for the previous administration's Technical Secretariat for the Lifetime Plan. (8)
National Council for Inter-Generational Equity (CNII)	Coordinates inter-agency efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable populations, including children. (38) The CNII provided feedback to the MIES on draft reforms to the Organic Code for Comprehensive Protection of Children during the reporting period. (1)

During the reporting period, the MOL and MIES worked with their Colombian counterparts to establish mechanisms to address child labor in the illegal mining sector along the Ecuador-Colombia border. (1) The MIES also launched a series of national roundtables in October to coordinate interagency actions to prevent and address child begging and child labor. The roundtables prioritized actions in 21 districts where street begging and child labor are most prevalent. (1) However, the MOL also reported that the ongoing pandemic and the change in presidential administration limited interagency coordination in 2021. (1) The government continues to struggle with ensuring that some children rescued from working in the informal sector receive adequate social assistance. (40)

V. Government Policies on Child Labor

The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including the lack of an active and permanent policy to address child labor.

**Table 9. Key Policies Related to Child Labor**
Policy	Description
National Project to Eradicate Child Labor (PETI) (2018 - 2021)	Established a strategy to eradicate child labor in Ecuador by 2021 and prevent hazardous child labor in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and mining. The project was led by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) and operated under the National Plan for Good Living. (8,16,41) The PETI program was implemented by the MOL as a pilot initiative, operated without a permanent budget guaranteeing a permanent dedicated directorate within the MOL in charge of efforts to combat child labor, and formally ended in December 2021. As such, the Ecuadorian government does not have an active national plan, program, or institutional body to eradicate child labor. (1) At of the time of this report, MOL's technical teams continued to carry out work under this policy despite its formal closure. (1,15)
National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2019–2030)	Aims to prevent, investigate, and impose legal sanctions against human trafficking with a focus on human rights, mobility, and gender, as the majority of victims in Ecuador are women. Launched in December 2019, the Action Plan includes U.S.-funded support through the IOM and is the government's first multi-sectoral plan on trafficking that establishes goals for every public sector institution to address human trafficking. (38-43) Under this plan, in 2021 the government held various trainings on trafficking victim identification, prosecution, and victim assistance to labor inspectors, prosecutors, and police officers, among others. The government also continued the #TogetherAgainstTIP (#JuntosContraLaTrata) national campaign. (1,2)
National Development Plan (Plan de Creacion de Oportunidades) (2021–2025)	Under former President Moreno, the "Lifetime Plan" aimed to support vulnerable populations from birth to advanced age through a series of social welfare programs and reduce child labor of children ages 5 to 14 to 2.7 percent by 2021. (17,44) Moreno's plan was led by the Technical Secretariat for the Lifetime Plan. (45) Due to the presidential administrative change, the plan was not active after May 2021. (1) Under President Guillermo Lasso, the national development plan is called "Creating Opportunities" and focuses on job creation. (12)

The Ministry of Labor has reported its intention to establish a permanent institutional body dedicated to child labor to replace the PETI program, though no further clarification has been reported. (1)

VI. Social Programs to Address Child Labor

In 2021, the government funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, gaps exist in these social programs, including inadequate efforts to address all worst forms of child labor.

**Table 10. Key Social Programs to Address Child Labor**
Program	Description
Business Network for a Child Labor Free Ecuador	Ministry of Labor and UNICEF initiative that seeks to gain commitment from participating industries to promote the prevention and elimination of child labor in their supply chains, trains businesses on child labor prevention, and creates employment opportunities for the parents of children engaged in child labor. (46) As a public-private partnership, it aims to exchange best practices and design strategies towards the progressive eradication of child labor among industries and their value chains. The program focuses on three geographic hubs in Azuay, Pichincha, and Guayas provinces. (6) In 2021, the program continued its efforts with 73 member companies specializing in the priority sectors of bananas, flowers, fishing, and mining. (1)
National Program to Combat Street Begging and Child Labor†	Seeks to raise awareness about child begging and aims to facilitate social services for children begging in the streets. (1) The Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion (MIES) continued to coordinate this program in 2021 with various other government agencies including the MOL and the National Unit for the Investigation and Protection of Children and Adolescents (UNIPEN), intensifying the campaign in November and December over the holiday season when child labor tends to spike. (1)
Palma Futuro (2019–2022)	Six million dollar regional project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and implemented by Partners of the Americas to improve the implementation of social compliance systems that prevent and reduce child labor and forced labor in palm oil supply chains. (47) In 2021, the Palma Futuro Project assessed the social compliance systems of its private sector partners and conducted trainings for their suppliers on child labor and forced labor risks. It disseminated information on the impact of the pandemic on labor conditions in the palm oil sector and worked with the private sector partners to develop and deliver messaging to palm oil workers about health and safety protocols during the pandemic. (48) For additional information, please see the USDOL website.
Youth Impulse (Impulso Joven)†	Seeks to increase job training and higher education opportunities for at-risk youth, support youth entrepreneurship through preferential loans, and connect employers with at-risk youth. (47) While activities under this program took place in 2021 prior to the change in administration, research could not determine whether it was active after that change. (1)

† Program is funded by the Government of Ecuador.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (17,47,48)

Although civil society stakeholders commended the government's social programs, they reiterated that these programs only make limited interventions in sectors in which child labor is most prevalent, specifically the informal and agricultural sectors. (16) While the government used the social registry to provide additional social assistance payments to vulnerable families during the pandemic, research found that the registry had not been updated since 2015 and some of the most vulnerable families may have been overlooked for those payments. Civil society notes that an update to the social registry should prioritize the most vulnerable populations at risk of child labor. (1,6)

VII. Suggested Government Actions to Eliminate Child Labor

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

**Table 11. Suggested Government Actions to Eliminate Child Labor**
Area	Suggested Action	Year(s) Suggested
Enforcement	Increase the number of labor inspectors to meet the ILO's technical advice.	2009 – 2021
	Ensure that the labor inspectorate is properly funded so that inspectors receive sufficient resources, including transportation and equipment, to carry out their duties adequately. Ensure that inspections sufficiently cover sectors in which child labor has been reported, including the informal sector.	2014 – 2021
	Ensure that labor inspectors have sufficient knowledge of existing laws and receive adequate training in victim identification to conduct inspections and refer victims to social services.	2015 – 2021
	Ensure that laws and regulations governing child labor, especially hazardous labor, are enforced consistently throughout the country, including in rural areas and family-run businesses.	2016 – 2021
	Publish information on the number of criminal violations found, prosecutions initiated, and convictions of crimes related to the worst forms of child labor.	2019 – 2021
	Ensure that criminal investigators receive sufficient resources to investigate cases of the worst forms of child labor and refer victims to services.	2019 – 2021
	Ensure that investigators receive sufficient resources, including shelters for victims, to investigate cases of the worst forms of child labor and refer victims.	2016 – 2021
	Strengthen the provision of specialized services for victims of human trafficking.	2018 – 2021
Coordination	Ensure there is an active replacement body for the Inter-Agency Committee for the Eradication of Child Labor.	2021
	Strengthen coordinating mechanisms among ministries providing social services to victims of child labor, especially in the informal sector.	2015 – 2021
Government Policies	Transition the defunct National Plan to Eradicate Child Labor from its original pilot project status to a permanent directorate with a permanent budget to ensure effective coordination on efforts to address child labor.	2020 – 2021
Social Programs	Conduct a comprehensive child labor survey so there is sufficient data to inform government actions to eliminate child labor.	2018 – 2021
	Enhance efforts to address exploitative labor practices and labor trafficking of migrant and refugee children.	2018 – 2021
	Enhance efforts to eliminate barriers and make education accessible for all children, including indigenous and refugee children and children from rural areas, by increasing classroom space and teachers, and addressing teen pregnancy issues and internet access.	2014 – 2021
	Ensure that all social programs that address child labor, including the Youth Impulse Program, continue to remain active and publish information on activities taken during the reporting period.	2019 – 2021
	Ensure that social programs make interventions in sectors in which child labor is most prevalent, specifically in the informal and agricultural sectors.	2018 – 2021
	Ensure that the social registry includes families most vulnerable to child labor by updating the list of recipients of social assistance.	2020 – 2021

References

ecoi.net description:: Annual report on child labor (covering 2021)
Country:: Ecuador
Source:: USDOL – US Department of Labor (Author)
Original link:: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/ecuador#
Document type:: Periodical Report
Language:: English
Published:: 28 September 2022
Document ID:: 2082709