Industry

In 2014, Panama made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government of Panama initiated its biennial national child labor survey, created a subcommittee to address the causes of child labor in the province of Bocas del Toro, and expanded the Direct Government Action Program to provide nationwide social and economic services aimed at preventing and eliminating child labor. However, children in Panama are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation. The law does not adequately define light work and fails to prohibit minors under 16 from engaging in hazardous work within training establishments. Moreover, the law does not clearly sanction violations related to the hazardous work in which children are prohibited to engage. I. PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD LABOR Children in Panama are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation.(1-4) Table 1 provides key indicators on children’s work and education in Panama