cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/61408526

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The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has asked the Chinese government to explain how it protects children aged 16 to 18 from hazardous labor. The question, which is included in the formal List of Issues adopted by the Committee on October 2, 2026, reflects research by the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), an NGO, documenting abuses of vocational school student interns under 18.

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The CHRD report Genuine Free Choice? Child Labor and Mandatory Student Internships in China (opens pdf), published in May 2026. That research focuses on two overlapping issues: abuses within mandatory vocational school internship programs affecting students under 18, and the illegal hiring of children under 16. Despite domestic legislation and China’s ratification of the CRC and key International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, abuses of child labor persist across industries.

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The List of Issues covers a wide range of children’s rights concerns. The Committee asked the Chinese government critical questions about abuses including discrimination against Tibetan and Uyghur children, restrictions on their religious and linguistic rights, barriers to education, family separation, and reprisals against children who speak out. It also asked about the implications for children of laws adopted since China’s last review in 2013, including Hong Kong’s national security laws and the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, in effect since July 1, 2026.

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CHRD’s findings call into question Chinese authorities’ willingness to enforce domestic laws, including the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Regulations on the Management of Vocational School Student Internships, to protect children. The violations also reflect non-compliance with the Chinese government’s obligations under the CRC and ILO conventions.

Chinese authorities should make child labor data publicly available—including complaints received through the national hotline and labor inspection findings on hazardous child labor—and investigate labor dispatch agencies that unlawfully broker student interns, CHRD says.

Reporting channels independent of school administrations are also needed, so that students do not fear that reporting abuse, or withdrawing from an internship, will jeopardize their ability to graduate.