WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of two new cooperative agreements to support efforts by the governments of Ecuador and Panama to combat child labor among vulnerable groups. Both projects include a focus on children from Afro-descendant, indigenous and migrant populations.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today released a report on Bahrain's compliance with its labor commitments under the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement. The report concludes that, while the government of Bahrain has instituted important mechanisms to address issues stemming from the 2011 unrest in Bahrain, it appears to have acted inconsistently with the Labor Chapter of the FTA in its response to that unrest.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced a $5.35 million grant to support efforts by the governments of Brazil and Peru to combat forced labor, including forced child labor. The grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs will fund a project implemented by the International Labor Organization.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today awarded $10 million for a cooperative agreement with the International Rescue Committee to combat child labor in Tanzania. The project will target regions where there is a prevalence of child labor in agriculture and domestic service.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has awarded a $5 million cooperative agreement to Counterpart International to combat child labor in Burkina Faso. The project will target child labor in cotton production and gold mining, focusing on the northern area of the Haute Bassins, the Boucle de Mouhoun and the northern and central-northern Cascades.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today introduced Reducing Child Labor and Forced Labor: A Toolkit for Responsible Businesses, the first guide developed by the U.S. government to help businesses combat child labor and forced labor in their global supply chains.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $6 million cooperative agreement award to Winrock International for a project to combat child labor in geographic areas of Liberia that produce rubber.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million cooperative agreement to World Vision for a project to combat child labor in Cambodia's agriculture, fishing, fisheries, aquaculture and domestic service sectors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has awarded a $1.5 million cooperative agreement to Tulane University's Payson Center for International Development in New Orleans to carry out research on the prevalence of child labor in cocoa-growing areas of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking eligible applicants under a $1.5 million competitive grant solicitation to develop centers for workers' rights in Colombia.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking eligible applicants under a $2.2 million competitive grant solicitation to strengthen worker organizations in Haiti and Peru. ILAB intends to award $1.2 million to be used for Haiti and $1 million for Peru.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking eligible applicants under a $5 million competitive grant solicitation to reduce child domestic labor by building the capacity of domestic workers organizations in one or more countries in South Asia and/or Southeast Asia.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking eligible applicants under two competitive grant solicitations to implement projects that will reduce child labor in Ecuador and Panama.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the release of three revised reports on global child labor and forced labor that were prepared by the department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs. At an event to release the reports, held at U.S. Department of Labor headquarters, Secretary Solis was joined by Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa; Gayle Smith, special assistant to the president and senior director at the National Security Council; and Ian Solomon, U.S. executive director of the World Bank.

WASHINGTON — A $5 million competitive solicitation for cooperative agreements to combat child labor in Burkina Faso's cotton and artisanal gold mining sectors was announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement in recognition of Labor Rights Week, Aug. 27-31:

"This year's theme, 'Promoting Labor Rights is Everyone's Responsibility,' underscores the importance of partnerships between the Labor Department and other countries to educate migrant workers and their employers about U.S. labor laws.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement regarding an agreement reached by General Motors Colmotores and its current and former workers:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has announced a competitive solicitation for one or more cooperative agreements worth up to $10 million to combat child labor in Tanzania's agricultural production and domestic service sectors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million competitive solicitation for cooperative agreements to combat child labor in Cambodia's agriculture, fishing and fisheries/aquaculture, and domestic service sectors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $6 million competitive solicitation for a cooperative agreement to combat child labor in the rubber-producing areas of Liberia.

Qualified applicants should focus on children who are engaged in or at risk of being involved in various forms of child labor in rubber-producing areas. Among other things, applicants must: