US Committed to End Exploitative Child Labor Around The World

With the most recent estimate by the International Labor Organization (ILO) suggests that 215 million boys and girls are involved in child labor throughout the world, the United States of America today reiterated its commitment to ending exploitative child labor around the world.

On her remarks on 2012 World Day Against Child Labor: Human Rights and Social Justice at DC, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland the US government recognizes the important relationship between eliminating child labor, and promoting broader human rights.

She says the most recent estimate by the International Labor Organization (ILO) suggests boys and girls are involved in child labor throughout the world, often in hazardous and exploitative conditions.

The U.S. Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report call attention to global trends in child labor each year, she noted.

“As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has stressed, “The exploitation of children anywhere should be a concern to people everywhere.” -Ms. Nuland

She stresses that children in situations of exploitative child labor are deprived education, and lack the opportunities to rise to their full potential and lift themselves, their families and their communities out of a cycle of poverty.

She emphasizes that it is essential to continue to strengthen efforts to abolish child labor to ensure that the world’s children remain free from exploitation.

Through its labor diplomacy efforts in diplomatic missions, as well as key partnerships at home and abroad, Ms. Nuland stresses that the Department of State will continue to promote labor rights, and develop and implement effective approaches to combat exploitative child labor.

Ten years ago, the United States became one of the first countries to ratify the International Labor Organization’s convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.

The United States remains committed to ending child exploitation – including child soldiering, child trafficking, and any work that harms the health, safety, or morals of children.

The US government asserts that the problem of child labor may be entrenched but it is also solvable.

Ending labor exploitation is US shared responsibility because the United States believes that every child born into this world deserves the opportunity to achieve his or her God-given potential.

On June 2011, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a new report indicated that a child labourer suffers a work-related accident, illness or psychological trauma every minute.

ILO reported that although the overall number of children aged 5 to 17 in hazardous work declined between 2004 and 2008, child workers in the 15-to-17 age bracket rose by 20 per cent during the same period, from 52 million to 62 million.

The ILO Global Report on child labour warned in 2010 that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour were slowing down and expressed concern that the global economic crisis could halt progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.

The study noted that the problem of children in hazardous work is not confined to developing countries. Evidence from the United States and Europe also shows the high vulnerability of youth to workplace accidents.

The ILO report concluded that while there is a need to strengthen workplace safety and health for all workers, specific safeguards for adolescents between the minimum age of employment and the age of 18 are needed.

The measures need to be part of a comprehensive approach in which employer and worker organizations and labour departments have particularly critical role to play.

However, ILO pointed out that throughout the world, girls continue to be disadvantaged in many ways, including through discrimination, limited access to schooling, and traditional roles that still relegate certain forms of work to girls.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that approximately 100 million girls throughout the world are child laborers, often working in hazardous and exploitative conditions.