Projects
Our international grants support projects to combat some of the most abusive labor practices, including the use of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking in global supply chains. ILAB-funded projects also promote trade partners’ compliance with the labor requirements of U.S. trade agreements and preference programs – helping to ensure a fair global playing field for workers in the United States and around the world.
Building Governments’ Capacity
ILAB works with governments to make them more effective in combating labor abuses, through efforts in areas such as data collection, monitoring, and enforcement. As a direct result of ILAB initiatives:
- More than 80 countries have strengthened their monitoring and enforcement of laws, regulations, policies, and programs to combat child labor, forced labor and human trafficking;
- More than 60,000 labor inspectors and law enforcement officials have been trained to more effectively enforce child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking laws and regulations; and
- Governments have adopted best practices to assist victims of child labor and forced labor. For example, ILAB worked in partnership with the Government of Paraguay to develop and pilot an electronic system that registers adolescent workers to ensure they are protected under the law and assist with enforcement of labor laws.
Assistance for Vulnerable Children and Families
ILAB projects adopt a holistic approach to promote sustainable efforts that address child labor’s underlying causes, including poverty and lack of access to education. Project strategies include linking vulnerable groups to existing government social programs, providing children with quality education or afterschool services, helping families improve their livelihoods to meet basic needs without relying on child labor, and raising awareness about risks of trafficking so that adults don’t end up in situations of forced labor.
ILAB at the Forefront of Rigorous Evaluation Research
ILAB continues to invest in impact evaluations of innovative interventions to broaden the global knowledge base on effective strategies for combating child labor and forced labor. ILAB’s randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for impact evaluations, allow governments and policymakers to make evidence-informed decisions about programs that affect child laborers and their families.
Find out what ILAB projects are doing in response to COVID-19.
| Title Sort descending | Amount | Grantee | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
"Stop Child Labor in Agriculture:" Contribution to the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labor in Mexico in the Agricultural Sector, with Special Focus on Migrant Indigenous Children |
$4,750,000 | International Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) | 09/30/2009 | 02/28/2014 |
A Better Future for Mali's Children: Combating Child Trafficking Through Education in Mali |
$3,000,000 | Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) | 09/29/2003 | 09/29/2007 |
ABK3 LEAPThe ABK3 project raised awareness, strengthened advocacy, and built the capacity of community, government, and sugar industry stakeholders to reduce exploitative child labor in 11 sugarcane producing provinces in the Philippines. The project provided educational support to help children succeed and stay in school, and assisted families in increasing agricultural productivity, finding alternative sources of income, and linking to social protection programs in order to alleviate the root causes of child labor. |
$16,500,000 | World Vision | 09/30/2011 | 08/31/2016 |
Actions to Reduce Child Labor (ARCH) in Areas of Rubber Production |
$6,200,000 | Winrock International | 12/27/2012 | 04/30/2017 |
Addressing Child Labor and Forced Labor in the Coffee Supply Chain in HondurasThis project will help businesses establish systems to prevent, detect and eliminate child labor and other forms of labor exploitation from their supply chains, and will assemble a powerful coalition of coffee buyers to collectively incentivize compliance among suppliers. In doing so, the project will help promote supply chains free of exploitative labor and a fair playing field for workers in the U.S. and around the world. |
$2,000,000 | International Labor Organization (ILO) | 12/15/2017 | 03/31/2022 |
Addressing Child Labor through Quality Education for All in Pakistan (ACL-QEFA) |
$5,000,000 | Save the Children - Canada | 09/29/2002 | 09/29/2007 |
ADROS: Combating Child Labor Through Education in Morocco |
$3,100,000 | Management Systems International (MSI) | 09/29/2003 | 09/29/2008 |
Advancing Labor Compliance in Colombia’s Port SectorThe project aims to improve compliance with national laws related to internationally recognized labor rights in the port sector. These include, but are not limited to, the right to freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, prohibition against discrimination at work, elimination of forced labor and child labor, and rights to acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health. |
$5,000,000 | Partners of the Americas | 12/20/2020 | 12/20/2024 |
Adwuma PaThe Adwuma Pa project works to reduce the risk of child and forced labor, and other exploitative labor practices by improving the economic participation and empowerment of women and girls within cocoa-producing communities in Ghana. |
$5,000,000 | Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) | 11/16/2018 | 11/15/2022 |
African Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (AYEDI)This project promotes education and vocational training and decent work opportunities for vulnerable youth ages 15 to 17. The project also seeks to enhance livelihoods for youth and their families, support civic engagement of youth, and encourage youth to take on leadership roles within their communities. |
$3,300,000 | World Education | 12/30/2013 | 06/30/2018 |