On World Day Against Child Labor, we reaffirm that children must not be subjected to hazardous work or criminal exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates eleven percent of the world’s children engage in work that is hazardous to their health and development, interferes with their educations, demands too many hours, or is too dangerous.
The United States is committed to ending child labor globally. U.S. embassies around the world help prepare the Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, and the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, while assisting other countries to address these problems. Ending the worst forms of child labor also requires global action to empower adult workers and their families. This includes engaging with governments, workers, employers, and labor organizations, all key partners in this fight. President Bidens’ Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally enhances U.S. policy to protect and promote worker rights at home and around the world.
The Department of State’s diplomats around the world collaborate with international partners to ensure high labor standards, bring workers’ voices to the decision-making table, and enforce rules against unfair labor practices, including forced labor and denial of the right to organize. These actions to help adult workers are critical to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.