National Policy on Elimination of Child Labour in Sri Lanka, September 2017.

The National Policy on Elimination of Child Labour will contribute to ending and preventing child labour, with a priority on its worst forms, through effective enforcement; mainstreaming child labor issues in key development policies and programmes; collaborative action with key stakeholders at the national and sub-national levels; promoting and facilitating a sustainable life-cycle approach to decent work, particularly for Sri Lanka’s youth.
The issues of child labour are surrounded by multi-faceted problems requiring different solutions through institutions. Household poverty, lack of social protection measures and shocks and inaccessible to schools push the children to the workplace, unprotected entry points, mainly in the rural and urban economies absorb these vulnerable children as cheap, low-skilled and uneducated labour, inadequate labour administration and inspection systems allow children to fall through and to carry on prohibited and harmful work, and an uninformed public pays little or no heed to the plight of these children engaged in or at-risk of, child labour. In Sri Lanka, as in other countries, the issue of child labour falls within the mandate of different Ministries at the national level and their respective Departments and offices at the Provincial and District levels. This Policy, applies directly and primarily through the Ministry of Labour. This Policy applies through partnerships related to other laws, public policies and programmes that impact child labour. This requires collaboration with key factors, including but not limited to, the ministries and their institutions mandated on areas of justice, social welfare, police, probation and childcare, child development, child protection, education, employment, health, and youth affairs.
The National Policy will also prevent from entering into child labour. First, and foremost children and young persons said to have engaged in hazardous work, who will be withdrawn from hazardous work and through linked to appropriate education, training, rehabilitation and re-integrations services. Children who have been victims of trafficking, or are at-risk, such as the sale and trafficking of children and forced or compulsory labour. Children who are victims of prostitution, or pornographic productions or performances; and an unestimated number of children who are engaged in illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, alcohol and other illicit substances. The indirect beneficiaries also will be young people and businesses with an educated, skilled and competitive workforce and effective governance systems that ensure the sustained impact of being ‘child labour free’ once it is achieved.
This National Policy places high priority on mainstreaming the needs and aspirations of children in the planning and implementation of national development policies and programmes and in their respective budgets so that an integrated and comprehensive response is provided to the complexities of the child labour phenomenon. Child labour does not exist in isolation and, therefore, special attention is given to those policies and programmes that alleviate poverty and enhance family living standards and incomes so that families do not shift the economic responsibility to their children prematurely. Of particular significance in this regard are: Decent work for adults as specified in the National Human Resources and Employment Policy 2012 and the Youth Employment National Action Plan of August 2006; The progressive extension of social welfare measures, such as the ‘Samurdhi’, to support families in need; social security and family welfare measures, including children’s allowances, aimed at ensuring child maintenance; Appropriate and adequate facilities for education and vocational orientation and training that are appropriate in form, content, access and delivery to the needs of the children and young persons concerned; Appropriate and adequate facilities for the protection and welfare of children and young persons, including employed young persons, and for the promotion of their development. This National Policy draws special attention to the situation of girls, the very young, the migrant or trafficked children, and those who are at-risk of engaging in child labour, including those who do not have families or do not live with their own families and are thus ‘unprotected’ children.