An estimated 16.1 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were counted as working in Guatemala in 2000. The majority of working children were found in the agricultural sector, followed by services, manufacturing and other sectors. Labor force participation rates of children are highest in areas with large indigenous populations. On average, working children ages 5 to 14 years work 6.5 hours per day and 5 days per week.

The Guatemalan Constitution mandates free and compulsory education in Guatemala through primary school, or up to grade 6. In 2000, 65.5 percent of children 5 to
14 years were attending school. The lack of flexible alternative programs in the education system, lack of relevance of the curriculum, insufficient academic coverage, and low quality of services have been cited as some of the reasons children leave Guatemalan schools. Economic activity and poor health contribute to the 76 percent primary school desertion rate of rural children who enter first grade. Primary completion rates are lowest in rural and indigenous communities.

The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) has been addressing child labor directly and indirectly by providing scholarships to children in need, administering extracurricular programs, and implementing school feeding programs in rural areas. MINEDUC continues to implement a bilingual education project and to reduce the associated costs of education by providing school supplies to all children in primary school and eliminating their matriculation fees. In May 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will provide additional funds for school feeding programs in Guatemala.

* From US Dept. of Labor’s 2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor