*EPF512 05/14/2004
Text: Labor Secretary Praises Children's Meeting on Child Labor
(Gathering in Florence aims to support convention against worst practices) (480)

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has praised the work of an international assembly of children and world leaders aimed at fighting the worst forms of child labor.

A May 12 Labor Department press release addressed the meeting in Florence, Italy, attended by about 500 children, including six from the United States. It aimed at developing an action plan -- by children, for children -- to encourage worldwide support for the International Labor Organization convention against abusive child labor practices.

"No child should be subjected to prostitution or bonded labor, no child should be trafficked and no child should be forced to serve in armed conflicts or participate in illegal activities," Chao said.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

Labor Department Secretary Praises Children's World Congress

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao praised the efforts of an international assembly of 500 children and world leaders who are meeting in Florence, Italy, at the Children's World Congress to find better ways to combat the worst forms of child labor.

"The community of civilized nations must accept this challenge and responsibility," said Chao. "Abusive forms of child labor must not be tolerated. No child should be subjected to prostitution or bonded labor, no child should be trafficked and no child should be forced to serve in armed conflicts or participate in illegal activities."

Arnold Levine, the deputy under secretary for international labor affairs for the U.S. Department of Labor, spoke at one of the congress's Dialogue and Accountability sessions. The sessions were designed to give children an opportunity to talk with world leaders about their progress on commitments made to eliminate exploitive child labor and provide increased access to quality, basic education.

Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Labor has contributed more than $275 million for international projects in more than 60 countries designed to prevent and eliminate the worst forms of child labor.

The host of the Children's World Congress, the Global March Against Child Labor, is a non-government organization founded six years ago with the objective of building worldwide support for an International Labor Organization convention on the worst forms of child labor.

The Children's World Congress is a forum to empower children to lead worldwide efforts to end child labor and to ensure free, quality education for all children. A delegation of six children from the United States is attending the event. In addition to participating in the dialogue and accountability session with world leaders, the children are developing a Children's Action Plan, which will be presented to the governments and international organizations. The children are also participating in a massive march tomorrow.

Exploitive child labor is the most common abuse against children today. About 211 million children were working around the globe in 2000.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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