[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 9, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S6387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 177--RECOGNIZING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
 INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION'S UNANIMOUS ADOPTION OF CONVENTION 
    182, ``CONCERNING THE PROHIBITION AND IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR THE 
            ELIMINATION OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOUR''

  Mr. HARKIN submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 177

       Whereas on June 17, 1999, the International Labour 
     Organization (ILO) unanimously adopted Convention 182, 
     ``Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the 
     Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour'', done at 
     Geneva (T. Doc. 106-5) (in this preamble referred to as the 
     ``Convention'');
       Whereas on August 5, 1999, President William Jefferson 
     Clinton submitted the Convention to the Senate for its advice 
     and consent;
       Whereas on October 21, 1999, the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations of the Senate, under the chairmanship of Senator 
     Jesse Helms, considered the Convention, and on November 3, 
     1999, reported it out of committee;
       Whereas on November 5, 1999, the Senate unanimously agreed 
     to the resolution of advice and consent to the ratification 
     of the Convention;
       Whereas on December 2, 1999, President Clinton signed the 
     instruments of ratification of the Convention, as the United 
     States became the third country to ratify the Convention;
       Whereas the terms of the Convention apply to all children 
     under 18 years of age and define the worst forms of child 
     labor to include slavery and practices similar to slavery 
     (including the sale and trafficking of children), forced or 
     compulsory labor, debt bondage and serfdom, child 
     prostitution and child pornography, the use of children in 
     illegal activities (including drug production and 
     trafficking), and work that is likely to jeopardize the 
     health, safety, or morals of children;
       Whereas the stated goals of the Convention include the 
     effective elimination of the worst forms of child labor, 
     ensuring that the parties take into account the importance of 
     free basic education, removal of children from all work that 
     is in violation of the Convention, and provision of 
     rehabilitation and social integration for children who have 
     engaged in work that it is in violation of the Convention;
       Whereas since 1995, the United States has become the 
     largest contributor to the ILO's International Program for 
     the Elimination of Child Labor;
       Whereas the Department of Labor has funded 220 projects 
     through the International Program for the Elimination of 
     Child Labor that have affected 1,300,000 children in 82 
     countries who were rescued from or prevented from entering 
     the worst forms of child labor;
       Whereas in May 2000, the United States Government enacted 
     the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-200), 
     which included a provision that requires countries receiving 
     duty-free access to the United States marketplace to take 
     steps to implement the terms of the Convention in order to 
     retain such trade privileges;
       Whereas between 2000 and 2004, the worst forms of child 
     labor declined worldwide, as the overall number of child 
     laborers fell by 11 percent, from 246,000,000 to 218,000,000, 
     and the number of young child laborers was reduced by 33 
     percent;
       Whereas between 2000 and 2004, the number of children 
     between 5 and 17 years of age who performed hazardous work 
     fell by 26 percent, from 171,000,000 to 126,000,000; and
       Whereas on the 10th anniversary of its adoption, a total of 
     183 countries have ratified the Convention: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the worst forms of child labor should not be tolerated, 
     whether they occur in the United States or other countries; 
     and
       (2) on the 10th anniversary of its adoption, all parties to 
     Convention 182, ``Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate 
     Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child 
     Labour'', done at Geneva June 17, 1999 (T. Doc. 106-5), 
     should work toward its full implementation to realize the 
     goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labor.

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