The US led anti-child labour campaign in South Asia will get a boost with President Bill Clinton's allocation of an additional 86 million dollars to help enforce child labour laws at home and abroad.

Senator Tom Harkin, a longtime advocate for the eradication of child labour in India. Pakistan. Bangladesh and Nepal, told a press conference here January 29 that this amount would support an International programme for hiring additional investigators, boosting educational funds for migrant children and increasing global support for an international foundation against forced child labour.

Clinton had briefly referred to the initiative during his State of the Union address on January 27 but provided few details. sayin&pnly that he would "send legislation to Congress and ask other nations to join us to fight the most intolerable labour practice of all - abusive child labour."

Harkin said allocation, which Is expected to be made In the 1999 fiscal budget, means an increase of 30 million dollars in the U.S. contribution to the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). The United States gave the organisation three million dollars last year. "It is an increase of 900 per cent over last year." the senator added.

The Lauour Department would get four million dollars to hire 36 new investigators to enforce child labour laws and five million dollars would towards setting up a pilot job training programme for youths.

Describing the increased amount as "a strong commit; ment by the United States to ending the scourge of abusive child labour around the globe and in our own backyard." Harkin said it "builds upon the law I worked to pass last year authorising the Customs Service to prevent goods made with forced child labour from entering the U.S."

Harkin, who has visited carpet manufacturing units in India. Nepal and Pakistan, said. "Not long ago. I witnessed first hand nine-and ten-year-old children working in a carpet factory in Nepal. Instead of going to school, these children were literally on their knees making carpets that will end up In the United States and Europe. And this is Just a glimpse into the dark world of abusive child labour."

Harkin also went on to mention that the IPEC works towards elimination of exploitative child labour by strengthening South Asian nations to address the issue and by creating a global movement to combat the problem-

He said the US contribution would also support IPEC initia-

tives in eight countries, including Pakistan, Nepal. India and Bangladesh. The senator said he had observed IPEC pro-r.a-’.mes during his recent factfinding mission to these South Aslan countries.

"In Bangladesh, the funds go towards the monitoring of garment factories where child labour is largely prevalent: in Pakistan, some of the IPEC funds are used for educational centres for former child soccer ball stitchers: in Nepal. IPEC funds are used to prevent child prostitution and in India It supports rehabilitation programmes of former child workers."

Harkin also commended the U.S. administration for urging other countries to crack down on ch('u labour abuses, but he said Americans must lead by example. Labour Secretary Alexis Herman, who was present at the press conference, said the initiative allows the department to make fighting child labour a priority and to help children who "are stuck in the workrooms Instead of studying In the classrooms."

Gene Sperling, chairman of the president's National Economic Council, said the allocation of 86 million dollars is the latest push by the administration to crack down on child labour. Last year, the U.S. imposed a ban on import of products made using child labour.

This is not a one-time budget deal - this is an ongoing focus." Sperling said. Clinton will release his budget proposal on February 2 before Congress.

Meanwhile, a recent U.S. Labour Department report backed legislation such as the one Introduced by Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman George Miller that called on manufacturers to voluntarily label their products with a "no child labour" guarantee to give consumers an educated choice when they make their purchases.

The report said child labour continues to be a problem not only in the hand-knotted carpet industries of India. Nepal and Pakistan but also in their leather-goods and tea industries. In 1996. the U.S. imported 602 million pairs of leather footwear at a value of $8.2 billion. The bulk of these Imports came from China. Brazil and India.

The use of child labour in the production of hand-stitched soccer balls has been documented primarily in India and Pakistan. Adverse publicity in the U.S. and Europe about child labour in the soccer industry prompted some American importers to adopt labels informing consumers that their products have been produced in child labour free environment.

Source: — India Abroad News Sei