11 June 2003
Labor Secretary Chao Describes Child Soldiers Initiative
(At ILO meeting she also emphasizes HIV/AIDS projects) (1030)
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has reiterated the Bush
administration commitment to eliminate the practice in some parts of
the world of pressing children into military service.
In June 11 remarks to an International Labor Organization (ILO)
conference in Geneva, Chao described a $13 million U.S. initiative,
announced in May, to help these child soldiers, including education
for those in Afghanistan and Uganda.
"These children are brutalized and forced to serve as combatants,
guards, spies, and even prostitutes," Chao said.
She also described another administration initiative, aimed at
HIV/AIDS, including Labor Department spending in 16 countries on
projects aimed to develop supportive workplace environments for
workers suffering the illness.
Following is the text of Chao's remarks:
(begin text)
Remarks By
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao
91st Session of the International Labor Conference
Palais des Nations
Geneva, Switzerland
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
I am pleased to be here again this year representing the United States
at the 91st session of the International Labor Conference. Let me add
my congratulations to the Vice President of Kenya, Michael Kijana
Wamalwa for his election as President of the Conference.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
Director-General for his insightful report, "Working Out of Poverty,"
which addresses one of the most difficult challenges facing the world
today.
One line in the introduction captures that challenge succinctly. It
reads, "People in poverty go through each day with the will to
survive, but without the support and possibilities to move up the
ladder of opportunity." It is our job as Ministers of Labor to help
make that ladder accessible. So this morning I would like to tell you
about the approach the United States is taking to help child laborers
and those whose lives are imperiled by HIV/AIDS reach for and climb
that ladder.
Since 1995, the United States government has provided more than $313
million to fund international projects aimed at preventing and
eliminating child labor in 51 countries. These projects are designed
to remove children from hazardous work environments and exploitive
conditions, to provide educational opportunities for child laborers,
and to conduct research and raise awareness about the child labor
issue.
One form of child labor deserves special attention -- that is the
heartbreaking plight of child soldiers. There are an estimated 300,000
children around the world who are involved in armed conflicts. These
children are brutalized and forced to serve as combatants, guards,
spies, and even prostitutes. They are robbed of their innocence,
placed in harm's way on a daily basis and deprived of any hope for a
normal life.
This is one form of exploitation that no member of the community of
civilized nations can ever tolerate. That is why in May of this year,
I convened an International Conference in Washington, D.C., that
brought together 500 representatives from nations and agencies
committed to ending this horror. We were pleased that Director General
Somavia and other ILO officials could join us for this milestone.
At that conference, I announced a new $13 million Labor Department
global initiative to prevent and rehabilitate child soldiers. This
includes $7 million funded through the ILO's IPEC [International
Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour] program; a $3 million
project to address the educational needs of former child soldiers in
Uganda; and a $3 million education project for child soldiers in
Afghanistan.
This is just one example of the United States government's commitment
to work with all nations to eliminate this practice and to save
children from the terrible life of a child soldier. I am gratified
that the ILO has dedicated tomorrow, June 12th, as the second annual
world day against child labor and that the plight of children
trafficked into armed conflict will be a focus of that observance. We
cannot give child soldiers back their childhood. But we must help them
rebuild their lives.
Another tragedy preventing vulnerable workers from accessing the
ladder of opportunity is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Today, 42 million
people are living with HIV. Some experts estimate that in Africa's
hardest hit countries, as many as 1 in 5 working-age adults are
infected with HIV. It is one of the greatest social, labor and
economic challenges of our time and has tragically taken the lives of
more than 20 million people. This has tremendous implications for
economic development and deprives many workers of the most productive
years of their lives.
I am proud that the United States, under the leadership of President
George W. Bush, has launched an unprecedented emergency relief effort
to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. President Bush has committed
$15 billion over the next 5 years to turn the tide against HIV in the
most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean. The goals of the
initiative are to:
-- Prevent 7 million new infections
-- Treat 2 million HIV-infected people
-- Care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans.
As part of this effort, the Labor Department is fighting the HIV/AIDS
pandemic with a variety of strategies to support employers and
workers. The Department funds HIV/AIDS prevention education in the
workplace. The Department provides technical assistance to develop
non-discrimination policies towards those workers afflicted with
HIV/AIDS. And we are collaborating with government, labor and business
leaders to encourage the development of supportive workplace
environments.
The Labor Department has already provided $19.5 million for 17
HIV/AIDS projects in 16 countries. We expect to do more as the
Department implements the President's emergency relief plan. An
additional $10 million has been designated for this program, and we
are pleased to be working in partnership with the ILO on expanding
HIV/AIDS programs.
Both of the initiatives I have outlined today -- eliminating the use
of children for armed conflict and helping HIV/AIDS afflicted workers
-- can make a real difference for the world's children and for the
world's workers. I thank the member states working with us on these
initiatives and encourage my colleagues in the ILO to join us in
supporting these worthy goals.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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