2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - British Virgin Islands (territory of the United Kingdom)

There is limited information regarding the extent and nature of child labor and the quality and provision of education in non-independent countries and territories eligible for GSP, AGOA, and CBTPA benefits. These countries and territories generally are not eligible to become members of the ILO, so ILO Conventions 138 and 182 do not apply to any of them.5132 Territories are subject to laws of the sovereign country.

Statistics on the number of working children under age 15 in the British Virgin Islands are unavailable.5139 Under the Education Ordinance, children must attend school until the age of 14.5140 In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 107 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 94 percent.5141 Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. Primary school attendance statistics are not available for the British Virgin Islands. The Development Planning Unit's Social Welfare Policy of 2002 calls for universal access to and completion of primary education.5142 The Labor Standards set the minimum age for employment at 14 years.5143 The government has set up a Complaints Commission to handle complaints of violations of children's rights.5144


5132 ILO official, e-mail communication to USDOL official, January 31, 2002. Most of the areas covered in this summary report are considered by the ILO to be non-metropolitan territories and therefore, are ineligible to become members of the ILO. An ILO member can submit a declaration to the ILO requesting that these conventions apply to their non-metropolitan territories. See ILO, Constitution; available from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/about/iloconst.htm.

5139 This statistic is not available from the data sources that are used in this report. Please see the "Data Sources and Definitions" section for information about sources used.

5140 Sheila Brathwaite, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, letter to USDOL official, September 14, 2000. Education is compulsory for 11 years. See UNESCO Institute for Statistics, National Education Systems, [database online] [cited November 14, 2005]; available from http://www.uis.unesco.org/statsen/statistics/yearbook/tables/Table3_1.h….

5141 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, (Gross and Net Enrolment Ratios, Primary; accessed December 2005). For an explanation of gross primary enrollment rates that are greater than 100 percent, please see the definition of gross primary enrollment rates in the glossary of this report.

5142 Government of the British Virgin Islands, Social Welfare Policy, Development Planning Unit, 2002, 5; available from http://dpu.gov.vg/Plans/NIDS/pdf/SocialWelfarePolicy.pdf.

5143 Brathwaite, letter, September 14, 2000.

5144 Committee on the Rights of the Child, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 44 of the Convention: Concluding Observations, CRC/C/15/Add.135, Geneva, October 16, 2000; available from http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CRC.C.15.Add.135.En?OpenDocum….

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