|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8211
Today, the International Labor Organization released a new report,
"Targeting the Intolerable: What is to be Done?" documenting the most
intolerable forms of child labor, surveying national and international law and
practice on child labor, and pointing the way toward eliminating exploitative
child labor.
Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich said this report helps sets the
groundwork for the adoption of a new ILO convention targeted specifically at
abolishing the most exploitative forms of child labor -- such as the use of
children in situations of forced labor, debt bondage, in prostitution, and all
other forms of hazardous and harmful work.
"The scourge of abusive and exploitative child labor must be eradicated
from the face of the earth. It is a moral outrage, an affront to human dignity.
I welcome this initiative to draft a new convention and immediately remove
children from intolerable forms of exploitation," said Reich.
The Department of Labor has been working for several years to increase
international awareness of the global child labor issue. Last year, at
Secretary Reich's request, the ILO held a meeting of the world's labor
ministers devoted entirely to the subject of child labor. At that meeting,
those present decided to move forward with drafting the new convention.
The ILO report finds that at least 120 million children between the ages
of 5 and 14 work full-time. Children toil in glass and ceramics factories,
exposed to intense furnace heat and glass shards, with no protective clothing.
Children working in mining and construction are exposed to asbestos and other
carcinogenic and toxic substances. In agriculture, children mix and apply
highly toxic pesticides. Children forced into prostitution suffer extreme
physical and emotional abuse and are at constant risk from exposure to AIDS and
other contagious diseases. Some children are sold outright for their labor. As
the report documents, these children are deprived of an opportunity for
education and self-betterment. They are subjected to intolerable health and
safety hazards that can lead to premature death, chronic illness, debilitating
injury, stunted growth, and physical and emotional trauma.
For the past three years, the Labor Department has contributed funds to
the ILO's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) for
projects in Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, Africa and Brazil.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
| 
