The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a grant award of more than $5.3 million to the International Labor Organization to support the global Better Work program by implementing projects in Bangladesh and continuing projects in Cambodia and Vietnam. The grant was awarded by the department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs.

Better Work is a unique partnership program of the International Labor Organization and the International Finance Corp. that seeks to improve labor conditions in global supply chains. The Better Work program monitors conditions in export factories, publishes the results in a transparent manner and assists suppliers to comply with labor standards that many buyers and customers demand.

"The goal is to replicate this highly successful strategy, first developed in Cambodia 10 years ago, in countries that protect their workers' rights while promoting development," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Under the grant, the Better Work program will focus on compliance with labor standards in the garment and other industries in these three countries. The project will engage the ministries of labor, factory managers, multinational buyers, employer organizations and trade unions, and provide guidance and solutions to improve compliance with labor laws in ways that increase the viability of companies, as well as the livelihoods and working conditions of workers.

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12/15/10: US Department of Labor awards $40 million to eliminate exploitive child labor in 12 countries

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the award of $40 million in grants by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2010 to combat exploitive child labor in 12 countries. The grants will offer children access to educational and training alternatives, help improve the livelihoods of their households so their parents can meet basic needs without relying on child labor, and build local capacity to scale-up and sustain efforts to eliminate exploitive child labor.

"Eradication of child labor is a necessary task that binds us all together and has global benefits for everyone," said Secretary Solis. "These projects will offer children hope through education and help their families provide for themselves and overcome the poverty that leads to child labor."

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the department awarded $15.5 million in grants to the International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor for projects in West Africa and the countries of Lusophone Africa. These projects include efforts to address exploitive child labor in sectors such as cocoa, quarrying and mining, and a partnership with Brazil to support the sharing of good practices through South-South Cooperation.

In Latin America, the department awarded $10 million for a project in El Salvador that will focus on participatory strategies, economic empowerment, and promotion of social inclusion as a means to address the root causes of child labor. In Asia and the Middle East, the department awarded $2 million for a project to help achieve the goal of a child labor-free Jordan and a $9 million grant in Thailand to address child labor in the shrimp and seafood sector.

In addition, to region-specific projects, the department has awarded $3.5 million for a global project focusing on child labor research and impact evaluation, implemented by ILO-IPEC and Understanding Children's Work.

Since 1995, Congress has appropriated approximately $780 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 1.4 million children from exploitive child labor. A chart of funding to combat exploitive child labor is available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/highlights/if-20101215.htm.