Lithuania

Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

The Government of Lithuania initiated the National Program Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children in 2000 to support and rehabilitate victims of sexual crimes.[1493]  In the same year, the Parliament created the position of Child Ombudsman to centralize advocacy efforts for children’s rights.[1494]  The government is implementing a National Poverty Reduction Strategy with funding and assistance from the World Bank in order to assist vulnerable populations, including children.[1495]  UNICEF is providing advisory support to Lithuanian authorities on education, health care, and children’s welfare, and approximately 100 NGOs and foundations throughout the country represent the interests of children.[1496]

Incidence and Nature of Child Labor

Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 years in Lithuania are unavailable.  Children are reported to beg on the streets or perform odd jobs, such as cleaning cars or selling newspapers.[1497]  There are reports of children as young as 11 years old working as prostitutes in brothels, and according to UNICEF, between 20 to 50 percent of Lithuanian prostitutes are believed to be minors.[1498]  Organized crime figures are reported to use coercive means to lure Lithuanian girls into prostitution abroad, particularly to Western European countries.[1499] 

According to the Law on Education, school is free of charge and compulsory from the age of 6 or 7 to 16 years.[1500]  In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 98 percent. [1501]  Primary school attendance rates are unavailable for Lithuania. While enrollments rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children’s participation in school.[1502]

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

According to the Law on Employment Contracts, the minimum age for employment is 14 years, but only in certain government-approved categories.[1503]  The law also stipulates that children from 14 to 16 years must have the consent of a parent in order to be employed, and work hours may not conflict with school.[1504]  The Law on Fundamentals of Protection of the Rights of the Child sets the minimum age for all other work at 16 years.[1505]  The Law on Labor Protection prohibits children under 18 years old from working in hazardous conditions, night work, or overtime, and mandates shortened work hours for children between 14 and 18 years.[1506] 

Law No. I-1418 and the Law on Fundamentals of Protection of the Rights of the Child prohibit prostitution by children, and the Criminal Code prohibits trafficking in persons.<a id="_ftnref1507" href="#_ftn1507" name="_