Remarks by

US Senator Tom Harkin

Child Labor Coalition Conference

June 22, 2000

Welcome and Introduction

  Thank you very much Pharis for that kind introduction and for your great work with the International Labor Rights Fund.  And thanks to the Child Labor Coalition for inviting me here today to address your fourth biennial conference on child labor.  (Acknowledge: CLC co-chair Linda Golodner; Labor Undersecretary Andrew Samet; Global March Founder Kailash Satyarthi.)  A special thanks to Darlene Adkins, for organizing this outstanding conference and for her exceptional work as coordinator of the Coalition. 

  And congratulations to all of you on your 10^th anniversary.  For over a decade, the Child Labor Coalition has been leading the charge to end the exploitation of children.  Your public outreach campaign has made child labor an important issue on the agenda of many governments, international organizations and business groups.  Well done.  I applaud all of you for your commitment, your energy and your resolve.

  It just so happens that I’ve been working on child labor issues for about the same period of time as you – just over a decade.  I do a weekly radio show for my constituents back in Iowa, and from time to time, people ask me why I’m so passionate about child labor.

The answer is simple: during my years in Congress, I’ve seen the horrors of child labor with my own eyes.  And once you see children toiling in fields and factories, children who are beaten and starved, children who live without love or even basic care, you can’t help but be passionate about ending child labor.

The Issue of Child Labor

  By now, each of you is all too familiar with the grim statistics on child labor.  Two hundred and fifty million children between the ages of 5 and 14 in developing countries are working – about half of them full time.   As many as 50 to 60 million children between ages 5 and 11 are engaged in hazardous work.

  That’s tens of millions of kids around the world working in dangerous, unhealthy, even slave-like conditions.  Young children risking their lives every day doing work that is absolutely unthinkable for any child anywhere.  Pornography and prostitution.  Armed combat.  Kids as young as 6 chained to looms; handling dangerous chemicals; working day and night making bricks, carpets, clothing, sporting goods and surgical instruments.  any are physically and emotionally abused.  All of are deprived of a childhood, solely for someone else’s gain. 

There are some things we cannot and will not tolerate.  We will not tolerate children in pornography and prostitution.  We will not tolerate children in slavery or bondage.  We will not tolerate children being forced to kill others in war.  We will not tolerate children risking their health and breaking their bodies in hazardous working conditions – regardless of country, regardless of circumstance.  We will not tolerate these things.  They are a moral outrage and an affront to human dignity.

  The photo exhibition that you’ve mounted in the Russell Senate Office Building, the same building where you’ll hold your reception tonight, is a powerful testament to the horrors of child labor.  It contains dozens of photos of children at work.   Exhausted kids combing garbage dumps for items that can be sold on the street.  Aching 10-year-olds carrying crushing loads of bricks on their heads under a sweltering sun.  A scared 14-year-old signing up -- though not necessarily volunteering -- for military service.  An 8-year-old carpet weaver with the gnarled hands of a 78-year-old woman.

  It is a sad, and moving exhibit.  Hanging among the photos is a statement I made on the floor of the Senate during last year’s debate over ratification of ILO Convention 182 on Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor.  If you don’t mind, I’d like to read it here today.  When a child is exploited for the economic gain of others, the child loses, the family loses, the country loses, and the world loses.  It is bad economics and bad development strategy.  Nations that engage in abusive child labor make bad trading partners.  A nation cannot achieve prosperity on the backs of children.  There is simply is no place in the global economy for the slave labor of children.

Reasons for Child Labor

Now, I’m the first to recognize the economic and social value of legitimate work for young people.  Work is inherently valuable for the lessons it teaches about commitment, dependability, hard work, and being part of a team.  I, and no doubt many of you, worked a variety of jobs when I was young, and I’m glad I had the chance to learn these lessons.  I see no problem with kids working to earn spending money or to contribute a little something to their families.

  But all too often, children aren’t working because they want to, but because they or they parents – and it’s usually the parents – feel they have to.  Worse still, millions of children are forced to work in appalling conditions that can cause lasting damage: debt bondage, child prostitution, child pornography; and other forms of forced labor that constitute the last vestige of slavery on earth.  And make no mistake: it is slavery, pure and simple.

  Many people try to justify child labor with the poverty excuse. They say that work provides poor children and their families with desperately needed income which can make the difference between starvation and survival.  Although children are not generally well paid, they often serve as major contributors to family income in developing countries. 

  But poverty alone does not explain the prevalence of child labor.  Studies by the ILO have shown that countries with similar levels of poverty can have markedly different levels of child labor.  Kerala State in India, for example, is extremely poor, but has succeeded in virtually wiping out child labor. 

We know that in many cases, child labor is not about increasing a family’s income.  Child labor is pervasive in many countries that have high levels of adult unemployment.  This suggests that children are being employed in place of available adults.  Why are children working when their parents are unemployed? 

Because children are more easily exploited, intimidated, threatened, and controlled than adults. They are usually less aware of their rights, less willing to complain about substandard conditions, and less likely to demand higher wages.  They make ideal laborers for greedy, corrupt businesspeople who are happy to take advantage of their innocence.

Simply put, abusive and exploitative child labor is more than just a tragedy.  It is a crime.  And, to me, a crime against a child anywhere is a crime everywhere.  There is no reason to tolerate abusive and exploitative child labor, in whatever form, wherever it exists.  We cannot afford to be selective when it comes to respect for fundamental human rights.  And no right is more fundamental than a child’s right to a childhood. 

Education is the Answer

Nevertheless, while poverty is no excuse for allowing abusive and exploitative child labor, poverty must be addressed if we’re going to end child labor on a sustained, global basis.  That is why we must reduce or eliminate the debt of developing nations which agree to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.  We must also help developing nations make meaningful basic education compulsory and universally available. 

Even families who want to send their kids to school often find that sending them to work is a better alternative.  Schools may be inaccessible, unaffordable, or substandard.  In some countries, rigid cultural and social norms limit educational opportunities -- particularly for girls.  But full-time, daily schooling is clearly the right choice for kids.  In fact, I’ve met dozens of children who once spent their days in a factory but now spend them in school.  When given a choice between school or work, every single child I met chose school.  Every single one. 

Education is clearly the best investment that we can make in children and in the future of any nation.  Better educated kids become more productive, better-paid adult workers.  Educated adults are generally healthier; more involved in the political process; less dependent on social support programs; and more likely to save and to innovate.

Growing consensus

Last year in Geneva, 174 nations came together at the International Labor Organization conference and took a giant step toward ending abusive and exploitative child labor.  With the unanimous passage of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, the world spoke with one voice to dispel any lingering rationale for the worst forms of child labor. 

  Gone is the excuse that abusive and exploitative child labor is acceptable because of a nation’s economic circumstances.  Gone is the excuse that abusive and exploitative child labor is acceptable because of cultural tradition.  And gone is the excuse that abusive and exploitative child labor is a necessary evil on the road to economic development.  When this Convention was approved, 174 nations laid those excuses to rest, and laid the groundwork for the process of ending abusive and exploitative child labor.  The world declared that these are not Western values.  These are not industrialized nation norms.  These are universal values; universal norms.

  I am pleased that the United States was one of the first countries to ratify ILO Convention 182.  We did so less than six months after it was adopted.  From adoption to advice and consent by the Senate to signature by President Clinton in Seattle -- all in less than six months.  When you realize that some treaties have languished unratified for decades, you can understand what an accomplishment this was.  There was a reason for the speedy ratification: it is indicative of our commitment -- from President Clinton and Congress -- to end this shameful practice worldwide.

Last week, the ILO met again in Geneva.  This time, they announced that ILO 182 has already been ratified by 27 countries – more ratifications in its first year than any other ILO convention ever over the same time frame.  And the ILO says new ratifications are being delivered at the rate of one per week – again, the fastest pace in ILO history.   This is yet another sign of the growing global tide against the worst forms of child labor.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge those countries that have made this important commitment: Belize, Botswana, Canada, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, South Africa, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Of course, international agreements are just the first step.  Ultimately, we need broad-based political will to turn good intentions into real progress.  Certainly, governments have the primary responsibility.  But governments often represent the interests of particular groups or socio-economic classes. Civil society -- from religious groups to labor organizations – must act as a watchdog.  They need to organize and energize the public to make sure Government does the right thing.  Change is never instantaneous, but we can make tremendous progress by raising awareness and mobilizing other citizens.

You as an organization, and each one of you as an individual, can act as an agent of change.  I urge you to continue to work to make the world free of abusive and exploitative child labor.  To continue to create a world where children are in school, not at work, stretching their minds, not just their muscles.  A world where children grow up surrounded by freedom and opportunity, not exploitation and abuse.

What’s Been Done

I’m proud to say we’re putting our money where our values are.  U.S. contributions to IPEC -- the ILO’s International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor -- have risen ten-fold, from $3 million in Fiscal Year 1998 to $30 million in Fiscal Years 1999 and 2000.  And we plan to increase that another 50% to $45 million in Fiscal Year 2001.  Already, U.S.-funded IPEC projects have provided over 120,000 children in developing countries around the world with educational opportunities.

  In addition, we have allotted $30 million of the President’s request for a bilateral education package for developing countries with high incidence of child labor.  I expect this commitment will increase to $45 million before we’re done.  These funds would be used to provide affordable, meaningful education to serve as an alternative to child labor.  And yesterday, the Senate approved a Foreign Operations spending bill that includes my provision to provide $5 million to rehabilitate and reintegrate child soldiers in Colombia.

  At my urging, President Clinton issued an Executive Order last June banning the U.S. Government from buying items made by forced and indentured child labor.  The Executive Order requires the Administration to publish a list of products, identified by their countries of origin, that the Administration has reason to believe were produced by forced or indentured child labor.  It should have been published within 120 days of the Executive Order, by last October 10.  Shamefully, and without adequate explanation, the list has not yet appeared.  I call once again on the Administration to release the list immediately and to stop purchasing all goods on that list.

  We have taken other steps as well.  The Department of Labor has published a comprehensive, six-volume report on child labor.  And we have established an office in our Customs Service to investigate allegations of forced child labor.  In April, we gathered customs officials from 19 countries to discuss “best practices” on child labor issues.  I spoke at the World Bank’s Children’s Week 2000 conference in April.  And in May I spoke at a joint Department of Labor-ILO conference on advancing the global campaign against child labor. 

Finally, last month, I attended the White House signing ceremony for the Trade and Development Act of 2000.  This landmark legislation contains regulations on child labor which I have been working on for years.  For the first time ever, child labor provisions have been included in U.S. trade law.  Under this Act, to be eligible for U.S. trade preferences, a country must implement its commitment to eliminate the worst forms of child labor as defined by ILO 182.  This applies to our Generalized System of Preferences as well as the new Africa and Caribbean trade measures.  And, unlike other grounds for denying or withdrawing trade preferences, the child labor provisions are mandatory – the President does not have the authority to waive consideration of child labor based on U.S. economic interests.

In addition, the Secretary of Labor is required to report annually on countries’ compliance with their commitments on child labor.  And the Secretary must take into account input from NGO’s, non-profits and all other concerned citizens.  I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to make your voices heard.  This legislation is a milestone in our battle against child labor, but its effectiveness depends upon your efforts to hold future administrations accountable.

Together, we’ve made great strides.  But we can do so much more.  When I spoke at the World Bank in April, I set a goal of reducing abusive child labor by at least 50% over the next decade in every country where this unconscionable practice exists.  I have introduced two bills in the Senate: one to ban the import to the U.S. of goods made with child labor, and another to establish a voluntary labeling system through which U.S. companies could certify products as being “child-labor-free.” 

And I plan to re-introduce legislation to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to close domestic child labor loopholes for agricultural work and raise the minimum age to perform certain hazardous work from 16 to 18.  According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, hundreds of thousands of child farm workers are laboring under dangerous conditions in the U.S.  This situation is as unacceptable here as it is in any developing country.

A Global Society, A Global Effort

We live in a global society.  But globalization is about more than markets and the bottom line.  It is about broadly shared prosperity, widely available opportunities, and properly honored commitments to human rights.  ILO Convention 182 is an expression of global intolerance for abusive child labor.  And it places a priority on education, a priority that we must honor.

But education is a two-way street.  We’ve got to educate consumers, customs officials and government representatives about child labor and how to prevent the importation and sale of goods produced with abusive child labor.  Every such item – every soccer ball, carpet, t-shirt or surgical instrument stitched, knotted, sewn or forged by a child – represents tacit acceptance of this abusive practice by nations that import these goods.

Members of the Child Labor Coalition – from the American Federation of Teachers (who’ve produced a video and teachers’ guide for use in schools) to the National Consumers League, to the International Labor Rights Fund (whose RUGMARK foundation is in the vanguard of consumer labeling in the imported carpet industry)-- are deeply involved in that effort.  I congratulate you for this and urge you to redouble your efforts.  Let your customers, employees, union members and elected representatives know that you will not tolerate the importation, sale or marketing of products produced with child labor.

Economic development and education go hand in hand.  The world’s three richest people are worth as much as the combined gross national products of the 48 least developed countries.  Implicit in ILO 182 is the argument that the wealthiest countries have an obligation to help the poorest.  When the dawn of the 21^st century finds over one billion people unable to read or write their own names, we have a recipe for instability and strife.