```

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 177 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 177

    Recognizing the 10\th\ 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''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 9, 2009

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Recognizing the 10\th\ 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''.

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 10\th\ 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 10\th\ 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.
                                 <all>
```