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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release July 5, 2000
     The Clinton/Gore Administration: A Strong Record of Working To
                                Eliminate
                  Abusive Child Labor Around The World                   

Today's signing by President Clinton of the United Nations Optional Protocols prohibiting the forcible recruitment of children for use in armed conflict and protecting children from slavery, prostitution and pornography builds on the Clinton/Gore Administration's record of working to eliminate the worst forms of child labor around the world.

PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS MADE AMERICA A LEADER IN WORKING TO PREVENT ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR AROUND THE WORLD: -- In his 1998 State of the Union address, President Clinton called upon the Congress and other nations to join in the fight against "the most intolerable labor practice of all -- abusive child labor." -- Building on these commitments, the President in his 1999 State of the Union address vowed: "[We] will lead the international community to conclude a treaty to ban abusive child labor everywhere in the world." -- In his 2000 State of the Union address, the President again called for the elimination of abusive child labor.

IN 1999, THE PRESIDENT SPOKE TO THE ILO IN GENEVA URGING THE ADOPTION OF CONVENTION 182 TO ELIMINATE THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR: -- In June of 1999, President Clinton became the first U.S. President to travel to Geneva to address the ILO Conference. He urged members to adopt Convention 182 and pledged to seek its ratification. -- On December 2, 1999, with bipartisan support from the Senate, President Clinton signed ILO Convention Number 182 - "the Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor." -- In signing Convention 182, President Clinton noted that tens of millions of children "are still forced to work in conditions that shock the conscience and haunt the soul. If we want to slam the door shut on abusive child labor," he stated, "we must open the door wide to education and opportunity." -- Recognizing the importance of education in eliminating child labor, the convention requires ratifying nations to take steps to ensure access to basic education. -- The convention applies to all children under the age of 18, and defines the worst forms of child labor to include: -- All forms of slavery and practices similar to slavery such as forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflicts. -- The use of children in prostitution, pornography, drug production and drug trafficking. -- The employment of children in work likely to harm their health, safety or moral well being.

UNDER THE CLINTON/GORE ADMINISTRATION, THE UNITED STATES HAS BECOME THE WORLD'S LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOR (IPEC): -- In fiscal year 1999, President Clinton, with the encouragement and support of Senator Tom Harkin (D. Iowa), increased U.S. contributions to IPEC tenfold to $30 million - making this country the world's largest contributor. That funding level was maintained for fiscal year 2000. -- Since 1995, the U.S. has funded projects to prevent or remove some 120,500 children in Africa, Asia and Latin America from dangerous or abusive work in many industries (including commercial agriculture, mining, fishing, the production of soccer balls, carpets, garments, fireworks, and footwear), as well as prostitution and domestic service.

BUILDING ON THIS RECORD, THE CLINTON/GORE ADMINISTRATION HAS PROPOSED TO MORE THAN DOUBLE RESOURCES TO COMBAT ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR IN THE 2001 BUDGET: -- President Clinton has proposed $110 million in his FY 2001 budget -- more than doubling last year's level of $45 million -- to help eliminate abusive child labor around the world. This $110 million commitment includes: -- A 50% increase in the U.S. contribution to the ILO's International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) - to $45 million. -- $55 million in new funding for targeted bilateral educational assistance to promote school rather than work in countries where exploitative child labor is prevalent. -- Doubling - to $10 million - Customs Service resources to enforce the ban on the importation of goods made with forced or indentured child labor, denying such products access to the lucrative U.S. marketplace.

THE PROBLEM OF ABUSIVE CHILD LABOR

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