Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Ecuador

Bananas
Bananas
Child Labor Icon
Bricks
Bricks
Child Labor Icon
Flowers
Flowers
Child Labor Icon
Gold
Gold
Child Labor Icon
Bovines
Bovines
Child Labor Icon
Hogs
Hogs
Child Labor Icon
Poultry
Poultry
Child Labor Icon
Rice
Rice
Child Labor Icon
Ecuador
2023 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Significant Advancement

In 2023, Ecuador made significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government passed the Law Against Human Trafficking and Illicit Trafficking of Migrants, which tasks the Ministry of Interior with leading Ecuador’s inter-institutional committee against trafficking in persons and defines government prevention and protection actions. In addition, all 160 labor inspectors received training on topics pertaining to the prevention and elimination of child labor and national and international legal standards. As part of the National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, the government distributed to all border checkpoints new guidelines to help identify and prevent trafficking in persons crimes. The Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion also signed cooperative agreements with municipal and provincial governments, civil society organizations, and religious organizations to implement programs to eliminate child labor and referred 12,160 children and adolescents vulnerable to child labor to social services. However, despite these efforts, the Ministry of Labor reported that the resources allocated to the labor inspectorate—including the number of inspectors, transportation, and equipment—are insufficient to conduct inspections in the informal sector. The government also has not conducted a nationwide child labor survey since 2012, and social programs are needed to address the vulnerability of migrant, LGBTQI+, indigenous, and Afro-Ecuadorian children to the worst forms of child labor. Furthermore, the Ministry of Labor has not registered certain industry-wide trade unions, including the Trade Union Association of Agricultural and Peasant Workers. As labor unions are integral to reporting and advocacy on the identification and prevention of child labor, violations of child labor laws and other labor abuses in the agriculture sector may go undetected as a result.

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