IV
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 444
Supporting the Global March Against Child Labor.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 21, 1998
Mr. GEPHARDT (for himself, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr.
SANDERS, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. VENTO, Mr.
MATSUI, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. FRANK of Massa-
chusetts, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. OLVER, Mr.
TORRES, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´, and Mr.
BONIOR) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee
on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Supporting the Global March Against Child Labor.
Whereas the International Labor Organization estimates that
at least 250,000,000 children under the age of 15 are
working around the world, many of them in dangerous
jobs in industry, mining, and plantation agriculture;
Whereas nearly 50 percent of the children in Africa, 21 per-
cent in Asia, and 17 percent in Latin America go to work
without ever having seen the inside of a classroom;
Whereas the United States Secretary of Labor has conducted
4 detailed studies that document the growing scourge of
•HRES 444 IH
child labor in the global economy, including children as
young as 5 who are making assorted products traded in
the global marketplace;
Whereas many of these child laborers work long hours for lit-
tle or no pay under abominable conditions, sacrificing
their childhood, health, and well-being;
Whereas the number of children under age 15 who are work-
ing under horrible conditions and the scale of their suf-
fering are increasing every year, despite the existence of
international and national laws which purportedly bind
virtually all national governments to prohibit the com-
mercial exploitation of children;
Whereas Principle 9 of the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child, proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on November 20, 1959, states that ‘‘. . . the
child shall not be admitted to employment before an ap-
propriate minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or
permitted to engage in any occupation or employment
which would prejudice his health or education, or inter-
fere 
with 
his 
physical, 
mental, 
or 
moral
development . . .’’;
Whereas children under the age of 15 in many countries still
lack either the legal standing or practical means to pro-
tect themselves from exploitation in the workplace;
Whereas the prevalence of child labor in many developing
countries is rooted in widespread poverty that is attrib-
utable to unemployment and underemployment among
adults, precarious family incomes, low living standards,
and insufficient education and training opportunities
among adult workers and children;
•HRES 444 IH
Whereas the exploitative employment of children under the
age of 15 deprives children of the opportunity for basic
education and a brighter future;
Whereas the exploitative employment of children under the
age of 15, often at pitifully low wages, ignores the impor-
tance of increasing jobs and purchasing power among
adult workers as a catalyst to the development of internal
markets and the achievement of broad-based, sustainable
economic development, especially in many developing
countries;
Whereas the Global March Against Child Labor has been or-
ganized by more than 700 nongovernmental organizations
from all walks of life from the local to the international
level as a massive global demonstration of concern and
outcry for the eradication of the worst forms of child
labor;
Whereas the mission of the Global March Against Child
Labor is to ‘‘mobilize worldwide efforts to protect and
promote the rights of all children, especially the right to
receive a free, meaningful education and to be protected
from economic exploitation and from performing any
work that is likely to be damaging to the child’s physical,
mental, spiritual, moral, or social development’’;
Whereas portions of the Global March Against Child Labor
will pass through 92 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin
America, North America, and Europe, reaching Washing-
ton, DC, in late May and culminating in Geneva, Switzer-
land in June; and
Whereas the Global March Against Child Labor promises to
be the largest protest ever against the commercial exploi-
tation of children in developed and developing countries
•HRES 444 IH
alike, involving millions of children and adults: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) condemns child labor exploitation wherever
it occurs in the United States and overseas;
(2) endorses and supports the Global March
Against Child Labor and applauds the efforts of the
organizers and participants in this historic undertak-
ing; and
(3) pledges to work for effective international
action to eradicate the worst forms of child labor by
the year 2000.
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