† 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 continue to be at an increased risk of working in brick kilns and factories, though operational brick factories have experienced a slowdown in business recently. Moreover, failed harvests from droughts have compounded farmers' debts, forcing them to sell their harvests to brick kiln owners and subsequently placing farmers' families into debt bondage. In recent years, the microfinance industry in the country has grown rapidly with inadequate regulation, leading to an increasing number of overburdened debtors. Cambodian human rights organizations cite cases of extrajudicial land sales, child labor, and debt bondage linked to the microfinance crisis. Children are forced to work because their parents have incurred debts to landowners or employers, sometimes resulting in forced land sales to pay back debts owed. Research also showed that children were taken out of school so they could work to help with debt repayment. Additionally, since 2016, there has been an increase in the number of women and girls travelling from Cambodia to China for forced or arranged marriages, with a further spike since the pandemic.

Barriers to Education Access

The Education Law establishes free basic education for citizens only, and unofficial school-related fees, such as for extra classes or school uniforms, are prohibitive for some families. Other barriers to education include denied enrollment for children without birth certificates, limited transportation to schools in remote areas, a lack of drinking water, a severe shortage of teachers, language barriers, and a lack of safe sanitation conditions in some schools. Sanitation conditions are particularly unsafe in Cambodia's "floating schools" on or near fishing communities, to which children as young as age 6 row themselves by boat each day. These barriers disproportionately affect ethnic minority children, indigenous children, children with disabilities, and children from rural and disadvantaged communities.

Cambodian laws do not sufficiently prohibit the commercial sexual exploitation of children, as the use of a child for pornographic performances is criminally prohibited in public places but not in private spaces or through the use of communication and information technologies. Although the Labor Code prohibits work by children under age 15, the law does not apply to children outside of formal employment relationships and, therefore, does not conform to international standards that require all children be protected under the law that sets a minimum age for work. Moreover, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training's (MOLVT) regulation on household work extends minimum age protections for domestic workers to age 18 and provides clear definitions of household work, but it does not specify legal protections for domestic workers employed in informal relationships, including when working for their relatives without a contract. Finally, Cambodia lacks compulsory schooling, which makes children under age 15 particularly vulnerable to child labor because they are not required to be in school but are not yet legally permitted to work.

In 2023, 592 labor inspectors conducted 219 worksite inspections, finding 1 child labor violation. It is unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted.

Evidence suggests that labor inspectors and other law enforcement personnel are unwilling to investigate child labor allegations involving powerful business owners. In addition, law enforcement officials have requested bribes from employers when child labor violations have been found. Malfeasance within the MOLVT and law enforcement agencies limits the capacity of local authorities to adequately enforce regulations for children related to hazardous work, resulting in penalties related to the worst forms of child labor rarely being imposed in accordance with the law. Additionally, the Government of Cambodia has failed to regularly investigate, prosecute, or convict public officials who participate in or facilitate the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation of children and debt-based forced labor in brick kilns. NGO contacts claim that the government has limited political will to investigate any Cambodian officials complicit in these illegal activities, and there was no evidence of public officials being investigated, prosecuted, or convicted during the reporting period.

‡ The government had other policies that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor.

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 is funded by the Government of Cambodia.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor.

The government puts restrictions on workers' ability to form and join unions of their own choosing. Foreigners are only permitted to join unions if they are literate in Khmer, have worked in Cambodia for at least 2 years, and have permission to residence in/have a permanent residency in the country. In addition, the government prevents unions and workers from accessing collective dispute settlement under the Arbitration Council. These restrictions, as well as the Cambodian government's failure to investigate and prosecute cases of anti-union discrimination and harassment can create a climate of fear that hinders workers' ability to organize, advocate for their rights, and report labor abuses, including child labor.

Download the 2023 Bibliography