[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 219 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67461-67462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26845]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Efforts by Certain Foreign Countries To Eliminate the Worst Forms 
of Child Labor

AGENCY: The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, United States 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice: Request for information and invitation to comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice is a request for information and/or comment on the 
2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report (TDA report) 
issued by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) on October 
7, 2014, regarding child labor in certain foreign countries. The 
recently published TDA report assessed efforts by more than 140 
countries to reduce the worst forms of child labor and reported whether 
countries made significant, moderate, minimal, or no advancement. It 
also suggested actions foreign countries can take to eliminate the 
worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement, 
coordination, policies and social programs. This year's report 
introduced a new streamlined format for country profiles to make it 
more user-friendly and a better policy tool for engagement. Relevant 
information will be used by the Department of Labor (DOL) in 
preparation of its ongoing reporting mandated under the Trade and 
Development Act of 2000. In addition, ILAB will use relevant 
information to conduct assessments of each country's advancement toward 
eliminating the worst forms of child labor during the current calendar 
year compared to previous years.

DATES: Submitters of information are requested to provide their 
submission to the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human 
Trafficking (OCFT) at the email or physical address below by 5 p.m. 
January 15, 2015.
    To Submit Information: Information submitted to DOL should be 
submitted directly to OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. 
Department of Labor, at (202) 693-4843 (this is not a toll free 
number). Comments, identified as ``Docket No. DOL-2014-0009'', may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    The portal includes instructions for submitting comments. Parties 
submitting responses electronically are encouraged not to submit paper 
copies.
    Facsimile (fax): OCFT at 202-693-4830.
    Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger Service (1 
copy): Chanda Uluca and Charita Castro at U.S. Department of Labor, 
OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 200 Constitution Avenue 
NW., Room S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
    Email: Email submissions should be addressed to both Chanda Uluca 
([email protected]) and Charita Castro ([email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chanda Uluca and Charita Castro (see 
contact information above).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Trade and Development Act of 2000 (TDA), Public Law 106-200 
(2000), established a new eligibility criterion for receipt of trade 
benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Caribbean 
Basin Trade and Partnership Act (CBTPA), and Africa Growth and 
Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Andean Trade Preference Act/Andean Trade 
Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA).
    The TDA amended the GSP reporting requirements of Section 504 of 
the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2464, to require that the President's 
annual report on the status of internationally recognized worker rights 
include ``findings by the Secretary of Labor with respect to the 
beneficiary country's implementation of its international commitments 
to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.'' Title II of the TDA and 
the TDA Conference Report, Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee 
of Conference, 106th Cong.2d.Sess. (2000), indicate that the same 
criterion applies for the receipt of benefits under CBTPA and AGOA, 
respectively. In addition, the Andean Trade Preference Act, as amended 
and expanded by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, 
Public Law 107-210, Title XXXI (2002), includes as a criterion for 
receiving benefits ``[w]hether the country has implemented its 
commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor as defined in 
section 507(6) of the Trade Act of 1974.''
    DOL fulfills these reporting mandates through annual publication of 
the U.S. Department of Labor's Findings on the

[[Page 67462]]

Worst Forms of Child Labor with respect to countries eligible for the 
aforementioned programs. The 2013 report and additional background 
information are available on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/findings/.
    Information Requested and Invitation to Comment: Interested parties 
are invited to comment and provide information regarding DOL's 2013 TDA 
Report which may be found on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/findings/ or obtained from OCFT. DOL requests 
comments or information to update the findings and suggestions for 
government action for countries reviewed in the TDA Report, as well as 
to assess each country's individual advancement toward eliminating the 
worst forms of child labor during the current reporting period compared 
to previous years. For more information on the types of issues covered 
in the TDA Report, please see Appendix II of the report. Materials 
submitted should be confined to the specific topics of the TDA report. 
DOL will generally consider sources with dates up to five years old 
(i.e., data not older than January 1, 2010). DOL appreciates the extent 
to which submissions clearly indicate the time period to which they 
apply. In the interest of transparency, classified information will not 
be accepted. Where applicable, information submitted should indicate 
its source or sources, and copies of the source material should be 
provided. If primary sources are utilized, such as research studies, 
interviews, direct observations, or other sources of quantitative or 
qualitative data, details on the research or data-gathering methodology 
should be provided. Please see the 2013 TDA Report for a complete 
explanation of relevant terms, definitions, and reporting guidelines 
employed by DOL.
    This notice is a general solicitation of comments from the public.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 6th day of November 2014.
Carol Pier,
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-26845 Filed 11-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P