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The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government in its report.

In its comments, the Committee has noted for a number of years the absence of provisions to give effect to the following Articles of the Convention: Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention (prohibition from employing children and young persons under 18 years of age unless they have been found fit for the work in which they are to be employed); Article 2, paragraphs 2 to 4 (medical examination for fitness for employment to be carried out by a physician approved by the competent authority; definition of the conditions relating to the issuing of the certificate of fitness); Article 3 (medical supervision to be maintained until the age of 18 years); Article 4 (annual medical examinations until the age of 21 years in occupations that involve high health risks); Article 5 (medical examinations not to involve the child or young person, or his parents, in any expense); Article 7, paragraph 2(a) (measures of identification to be adopted for ensuring the application of the system of medical examination for fitness for employment to children and young persons engaged either on their account or on account of their parents in itinerant trading or in any other occupation carried on in the streets or in places to which the public have access.

The Committee noted with interest the adoption of Act No. 88-07 of 26 January 1988 respecting occupational health, safety and medicine, and the Government's intention to adopt the implementing regulations provided for under section 17 of the Act (compulsory medical examinations and special medical supervision for apprentices). In its last report, the Government indicates that these regulations are in the process of being adopted.

The Committee expresses the hope that the regulations in question will be adopted very shortly and that they will give full effect to the above-mentioned provisions of the Convention.