Hilda Solis Commits $60 Million to Combat Child Labor

Published June 10, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT

In advance of World Day Against Child Labor coming up on June 12, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has committed $60 million to the issue, with a special focus on the forced labor of girls. For me, this is a hip-hip-hooray moment for the DOL for acknowledging the importance of labor issues which exist outside of the U.S. and how they affect American workers.

I actually ran into (or I should say, ran up to) Solis at a reception last night and specifically asked her to comment on the Department of Labor's commitment to this issue. She responded that girls working in forced labor is a serious issue, and that many of the items we use everyday are in fact made in exploitative conditions overseas. (True!) She went on to iterate that the Department of Labor is committed to combating child labor of girls on every level, and are exploring new and better ways address this issue. I should point out that this isn't a direct quote, but rather the parts of the conversation I was able to jot down on my cocktail napkin upon abandoning my VAWA-tini.

Still, I am proud and excited that the Department of Labor is taking a broad and international view of labor issues and is dedicating both funding and rhetoric to a focus on child labor. Plus, how many cabinet members would be gracious enough to give a comment to an unknown blogger who accosts them at a cocktail party, waxes poetic about the importance of funding anti-trafficking legislative initiatives, and then asks them to go on the record? My guess is, not many, but if I live in DC for long enough I intend to find out.

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Just found a notice from IRC that they are already responding to the DOL announcement and are hiring short-term consultants for projects related to child labor exploitation. Here is one in Rwanda - http://www.devex.com/jobs/jun2009-international-rescue-committee-rfa-team-leader.

Great news.

And I didn't know VAWA had their own tini :-)

Posted by Elise Garvey on 06/10/2009 @ 01:22PM PT
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Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.