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The International Labour Organization Country Director Tine Staermose said the recruitment of children into armed conflict is one of the worst forms of child labour prevalent in Sri Lanka.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ms. Staermose said such recruitment, along with child prostitution and child pornography, all of which are present in the country, are regarded with zero tolerance around the world.

Ms. Staermose commended the Government for introducing the new amendment to the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, which decrees the employment of those below eighteen in hazardous forms of labour to be an offence. The grounds covered by this law include the recruitment of children as child combatants in training and on the battlefield and in the commercial sex trade.

Ms. Staermose said the new amendment supports one of the primary aims of the ILO, which is to promote opportunities for youth to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.“This amendment reflects Sri Lanka’s commitment to eliminate the worst forms of child labour prevailing in the country, which is one of the state’s obligations subsequent to the ratification of ILO Convention 182 in March 2001,” she said.

In 2003, the amendment to the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, raised the age for children training in dangerous trades from 14 to 16 years. This amendment also raised the minimum age for employment in dangerous trades such as circuses from 16 years to 18 years.

Sri Lanka has identified a list of 49 hazardous forms of employment, 40 of which are unconditional and completely prohibited. The other 9 forms of child occupations are conditionally prohibited. All these forms of employment, by their very nature and circumstances in which they are performed, are deemed harmful to a child’s morals, safety or health.

“According to the child activity survey done in 1999, children in economic activity are identified as those who work for pay, profit or family gain. ILO does not consider all children engaged in economic activity to be labourers,” Ms. Staermose said.

In Sri Lanka, any child between the ages of 14 and 18 who is engaged in a non-hazardous form of occupation is identified as a child worker. In contrast, a child labourer is engaged in exploitative employment.

By this definition, Sri Lanka identifies child soldiers to be child labourers, thereby affirming their recruitment to be a punishable crime under the new amendment.