Table 1. Statistics on Children’s Work and Education

In 2014, Ecuador made a significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government issued Official Registry No. 221, which provides that the regional Ministry of Labor offices register adolescent workers, protecting their rights and formalizing their employment. The National Police Unit for Crimes against Children and Adolescents (DINAPEN) conducted 84 operations to combat commercial sexual exploitation and rescued 56 children and adolescents. The Ministry of Tourism and DINAPEN signed an agreement to coordinate the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Ecuador also continued to participate in a number of programs targeting the worst forms of child labor. However, children in Ecuador continue to engage in child labor, including in agriculture, and in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Ecuador still faces resource constraints that prevent labor inspectors from conducting inspections and enforcing child labor laws. I. PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD LABOR Children in Ecuador are engaged in child labor, including in agriculture. Children are also engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation sometimes as a result of human trafficking.(1-3) In 2013, the Government released the results of the Child Labor Survey. The survey indicates that 359,597 Ecuadorian children and adolescents work, or 8.6 percent of the population between the ages of 5 and 17. Data from this survey were not analyzed in time for inclusion in the table below. (3, 4) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Ecuador