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ILAB News Release: [10/01/2007]
Contact Name: Peggy Abrahamson or Richard Manning
Phone Number: (202) 693-7909 or x4676
Release Number: 07-1498-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor awards more than $54 million to eliminate exploitive child labor around the world

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has competed and awarded more than $54 million in fiscal year 2007 grants to combat hazardous and exploitive child labor in countries around the world. The grants will facilitate the collection of reliable data and provide children in need with access to quality basic education and vocational training opportunities.

"These $54 million in grants continue our efforts to eliminate abusive child labor practices around the world," said Secretary Chao.

The Labor Department competed approximately $50 million in grant funding for programs to address child labor in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia. The projects funded under these awards will seek to:

• Withdraw and prevent children from entering exploitive labor through the provision of direct educational and other services.
• Ensure beneficiaries' enrollment, retention and completion of their educational programs.
• Strengthen country capacity to eliminate exploitive child labor and promote educational alternatives for children.
• Complement and expand ongoing projects and programs aimed at eliminating exploitive child labor, and improve basic education.
• Build upon existing research through the collection of quality and reliable data on the incidence and nature of child labor.

The department received more than 40 applications for 11 projects in 13 countries. Recipients of the awards include international, nonprofit, for-profit and faith-based organizations, such as the International Labor Organization, World Vision, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children UK, Management Systems International and Winrock International. The grants also include an award to Macro International focused on the collection of data on the incidence of child labor in the carpet sectors of India, Nepal and Pakistan. In addition, the department allocated $4.4 million to ongoing projects to expand upon efforts already underway.

"Projects funded by the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs have helped more than one million children around the world to either leave exploitive work situations or avoid facing a similar fate," said Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Charlotte Ponticelli. "These children have been given a chance to rebuild their lives."

Since 1995, the Congress has appropriated approximately $595 million to the Department of Labor to support efforts to combat exploitive child labor around the world. In programming these funds, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) collaborates with the U.S. Department of State, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. embassies, and ministries of labor and education around the world. ILAB is responsible for monitoring the progress of these grants.

Editor's Note: A list of the newly funded projects is below.

For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/ilab.

U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking

FY 2007 Cooperative Agreement Awards