Page
Ethiopia
Child Rights and Business guidance for Chinese Companies Operating in Ethiopia
- Available in:
- 中文
- English
Proposed indicators
Decent work for parents and young workers
Relevant to companies in the construction and textile and garment manufacturing sectors
Child labour
- Minimum age: The minimum age of full-time employment is 14.
- Hazardous work: Children under 18 years of age may not be employed in hazardous work. A list of hazardous works is included in national laws.
- Light work: Children under 14 years may not be engaged in light work.
Relevant to companies in all industries
Maternity and paternity protections
- Parental leave: Women are entitled to 120 working days (20 weeks) of fully paid maternity leave. There is no entitlement to paternity leave.
- Pay and benefits: Maternity leave is granted with full pay (100% of previous earnings), paid by the employer.
- Job protection: It is unlawful to dismiss a worker due to pregnancy or maternity leave. Female workers do not have the right to return to the same or similar position on the same terms and conditions after returning from maternity leave.
Decent work for parents and young workers
- Health and safety: National laws prohibit employment of women in types of work that have been listed as arduous or harmful to women's health, regardless of pregnancy. Pregnant women may not be asked to work overtime or night hours. A woman worker may be transferred to another place if her job is dangerous to her health or her pregnancy.
- Working hours: Normal working hours are 48 per week – 8 hours per day over a maximum of 6 days per week.
- Breastfeeding: There are no provisions for breastfeeding breaks.
Marketplace
Relevant to companies in the ICT sector
Child online safety
- Child sexual abuse material (CSAM): National laws prohibit CSAM, although the definition of CSAM does not cover the full range of exploitative acts that can be perpetrated against children in the production of CSAM. Internet service providers (ISPs) are required to report instances to law enforcement. There are no specialised agencies or hotlines that handle complaints of CSAM.
- Access to pornography: National laws criminalise the dissemination of pornography on the internet.
Community and Environment
Relevant to companies in the construction sector
Environment
- Impact assessment: To ensure that projects minimise harmful impacts on the environment, national laws require environmental impact assessments.
- Climate change: In its submission to the UNFCC, Ethiopia has committed to reduce greenhouse gases by 2030.
Land rights
- Land tenure: Indigenous communities make up a significant portion of Ethiopia's population – an estimated 15% of the population are indigenous pastoralists. National laws reflect limited progress towards recognising community and indigenous land rights, even though an estimated 61%-81% of the country's land area is community and/or indigenous land.
- Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC): National laws also do not recognise the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for projects that may affect indigenous communities or their lands.
Security arrangements
-
Child soldiers: The minimum voluntary enlistment age is 18. There are no current reports of children taking part in hostilities.
Child rights
- Education: Primary and secondary education are free and compulsory until the age of 16.
- Healthcare: The Constitution recognises the right to health. The government no longer guarantees free healthcare to all, although there are a number of public health insurance schemes and that aim to improve universal access.