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Q:
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What is the U.S. Department of Labor's role in international child labor issues? |
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A:
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The Department of Labor (DOL) has provided valuable resources toward child labor elimination efforts worldwide. Since 1995, Congress has appropriated approximately $535 million to DOL for international technical assistance to combat exploitive child labor around the world. Of this amount, Congress has included approximately $330 million for the International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) for technical cooperation projects. As the leading donor to IPEC, DOL support for the UN agency helps to remove and prevent children from engaging in hazardous work, provide children and their families with direct services, build the capacity of governments and local organizations to combat child labor, increase the knowledge base on child labor, raise public-awareness about the hazards of child labor and benefits of education. In addition, Congress’ appropriations to DOL have included approximately $205 million to support international efforts to eliminate child labor through programs that will improve access to basic education in international areas with high rates of abusive and exploitive child labor. In the area of research and reporting, DOL continues to contribute to the information base on international child labor issues through its publication of reports on the topic, available from the International Child Labor Program's Web site.
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