In 2021, Costa Rica made significant advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The National Statistics Institute published a new household survey that included a child labor component measuring labor rates for children between the ages of 12 and 17. Furthermore, the government drafted and enacted new national action plans to combat child labor and human trafficking. Costa Rica also drafted a law to address migrant smuggling in an effort to address human trafficking, and drafted modifications to its trafficking laws. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor implemented a new guide to assist businesses in confronting child labor. However, children in Costa Rica are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Children also engage in child labor in agriculture, including in the production of coffee. Furthermore, the labor inspectorate lacks a sufficient number of inspectors.
Year of Publication: 2021