Street child

“Ukraine is a source country for Internet child pornography. Ukrainian children are trafficked internationally and internally for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced begging, and forced labor in agriculture. Most trafficked girls are subject to commercial sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for labor or to sell drugs. Debt bondage, forcing the child to pay off debt incurred as a result of the trafficking, is a common occurrence in trafficking situations.” – written in the chapter, devoted to Ukraine.

“Street children, victims of domestic violence, orphans, residents of children’s homes, and children who migrate in search of work are among those most at-risk of becoming engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking.

In Ukraine, the minimum age for employment is 16 years. With the consent of a parent, children at 15 years may work in certain non-hazardous industries and children at 14 years may work in agriculture and the social sector (orphanages, hospitals, elder care, etc.) on a short-term basis if it does not interfere with their education. The employment of an underage child is punishable by up to 6 months of imprisonment or judicial restraint for up to 3 years. Forced labor of children is forbidden by law. Pimping or managing a brothel that employs minors is punishable by 2 to 7 years of imprisonment. Involvement of a child in prostitution for profit or through violence or threats is prohibited, and offenders can be punished by 3 to 5 years of imprisonment.” – states the resport.

       ”Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

The Government’s State Program to Combat Child Homelessness and Neglect (2006-2010) identifies child homelessness as a factor related to child labor and aims to identify and support at-risk families. The Government of Ukraine has a National Action Plan (2006-2016) on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, with separate chapters on the worst forms of child labor, child trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
The Donetsk Regional Action Plan to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor calls for regular workplace monitoring, support for local action committees working with ILO-IPEC, awareness- raising activities, the provision of services to formerly working children, and the regular supervision of at-risk families to prevent child labor.
The Kherson Regional Program on the Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings (2007-2010) provides services for trafficking victims, including child victims. It also supports information and awareness-raising activities targeting children and youth, regular monitoring of labor migration, and the implementation of programs for the psychosocial rehabilitation of child victims. Ukraine’s State Program on Counteracting Trafficking of People (2007-2010) aims to eliminate child prostitution, child pornography, and trafficking in children by serving as a guideline on strategies against child trafficking and enforcing mechanisms to eliminate child labor.
The Department of Juvenile Affairs under the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sport (MOFYS) and the Criminal Police on Juvenile Affairs under the Ministry of Internal Affairs are responsible for finding children engaged in the worst forms of child labor in the informal sector. ”

The global economic crisis has “exacerbated the vulnerability” of the most easily exploited workers, including children, women and migrants, it added.

The situation of children labour in 58 countries is analized in the report. US Department of Labor gives the list of 122 goods, which are “produced with forced labor, child labor, or both”.

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