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U.S. Department of Labor awards nearly $59 million to eliminate exploitive child labor in 19 countries
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced nearly $59 million in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor in fiscal year 2009 to combat exploitive child labor in 19 countries. The grants will help rescue more than 85,000 children from exploitive labor, and offer them hope for the future through education and training. The grants will also help improve collection and analysis of child labor data and support for the development and implementation of national action plans to address the problem.
"Protecting children from exploitation and ensuring that their education and healthy development is not compromised is our moral duty," said Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis. "With these new funds, we are furthering our commitment to working with the international community to find effective and lasting solutions to this global challenge."
In Africa, the department awarded $20.4 million in grants to combat exploitive child labor in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Groups such as the International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC), the International Rescue Committee, Winrock International and the Forum of African Women Educationalists will implement projects to address exploitive child labor in sectors such as cocoa, coffee, tea and sugar.
The department awarded $15.8 million for projects in Latin America. ILO-IPEC, Catholic Relief Services, Desarrollo y Autogestion and World Learning will implement projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay. A regional South America project will eliminate forced labor and child labor through improved labor inspections, education and sharing of best practices, including many developed in Brazil.
In Asia, $15.3 million was awarded for projects in India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines. Implementing organizations include ILO-IPEC, Save the Children, Terre Des Hommes, World Education and World Vision. These projects will combat child labor, including in the production of bricks and embroidered textiles, mining, domestic service, plantation agriculture, portering and commercial sexual exploitation.
A final $7.4 million in grants will support policy and research projects. In addition, the department awarded a $500,000 contract to the Center for Reflection, Education, and Action (CREA) to assist the department in identifying and disseminating best practices to eliminate child labor and forced labor in supply chains. CREA will work with a variety of stakeholders to develop a framework for evaluating business practices.
Since 1995, Congress has appropriated approximately $720 million to the Labor Department to support efforts to combat exploitive child labor internationally. As a result of that funding, the department has rescued approximately 1.3 million children from exploitive child labor. For more information, visit the department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs Web pages at http://www.dol.gov/ilab.
Editor's Note: A chart with information about the individual grants follows this news release.
U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking
FY 2009 Programming to Combat Exploitive Child Labor Internationally
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFRICA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
COUNTRY FUNDING PROJECT FOCUS IMPLEMENTER
LEVEL
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
West $7,950,000 Towards International Labor
Africa-ECOWAS Elimination of Organization's
(Direct the Worst Forms International
Action in of Child Labor Program on the
Cote (WFCL) in West Elimination of
d'Ivoire and Africa: Child Labor
Ghana) Supporting and (ILO-IPEC)
monitoring
implementation of
national action
plans in Cote
d'Ivoire and
Ghana, the
development of a
national action
plan in Nigeria,
and strengthening
sub-regional
cooperation
through ECOWAS
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Kenya $4,600,000 Support for the ILO-IPEC
implementation of
the Kenyan
National Action
Plan for the
Elimination of
the WFCL with
special focus on
agriculture and
older children
------- --------- ---------------- -------------------
Malawi $2,757,621 Project of Support ILO-IPEC
to the National
Action Plan to
combat Child
Labor in Malawi.
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Rwanda $4,499,988 Combating the WFCL Winrock
in agriculture International in
association with
Forum of African
Women
Educationalists
and SNV
Netherlands
Development
Organization-
Rwanda (SNV)
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Sierra Leone $300,000 Cost increase of International
and Liberia project to combat Rescue Committee
the WFCL
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Zambia $292,379 Cost increase of ILO-IPEC
project to combat
the WFCL
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Subtotal
AFRICA $20,399,988
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mexico $4,750,000 "Stop Child Labor ILO-IPEC
in Agriculture":
Contribution to
the prevention
and elimination
of child labor in
Mexico, in
particular the
worst forms in
the agricultural
sector, with
special focus on
indigenous
children and
child labor as a
result of
internal
migration
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Regional $6,750,000 Combating the WFCL ILO-IPEC
South through
America horizontal
(Bolivia, cooperation in
Brazil, South America
Ecuador, (Brazil,
Paraguay) Paraguay, Bolivia
and Ecuador)
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Guatemala $4,199,601 Combating the WFCL Catholic Relief
and creating Services
child labor free
zones
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Ecuador $150,000 Cost increase of World Learning in
project to combat association with
the WFCL among Desarrollo y
indigenous Autogestion
children
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Subtotal LAC $15,849,601
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASIA, MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA (ASIA/MENA)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indonesia $5,500,000 Combating the WFCL Save the Children
through an area Federation in
based approach association with
World Education
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Nepal $4,248,224 Combating the World Education in
WFCL, with a association with
focus on Forced Terres des Hommes
Child Labor and Foundation
Trafficking of
Children into
Commercial Sexual
Exploitation
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Philippines $4,750,000 Towards a Child ILO-IPEC
Labor-Free
Philippines:
Supporting the
"Philippine
Program Against
Child Labor" in
Building on Past
Gains and
Addressing
Challenges
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Indonesia $200,000 Cost increase of ILO-IPEC
project to combat
the WFCL
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Pakistan $50,000 Cost increase of Save the Children-
project to combat UK
the WFCL
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Philippines $200,000 Cost increase of World Vision
project to combat
the WFCL
South Asia $350,000 Cost increase for Macro International
Regional South Asia
(India, Carpets Research
Nepal,
Pakistan)
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------Subtotal
ASIA/MENA $15,298,224
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL/MULTI-REGION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Global $3,000,000 Follow-up to the ILO-IPEC
resolution on
child labor
statistics
adopted at the
18th ICLS through
methodological
development and
expansion of
child labor data
collection
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Global $1,500,000 Cooperation to ILO-IPEC
Address the WFCL
in Agriculture:
Support to the
International
Agricultural
Partnership
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Global $2,821,100 Support to the ILO-IPEC
Global Action
Plan, baseline
surveys,
evaluations, and
project design
and development
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Global $125,000 Cost increase for Verite
research on
forced labor in
select countries
------- ---------- ---------------- -------------------
Subtotal
Global $7,446,100
------- ----------
GRAND TOTAL $58,993,913
U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor
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