The New York Times

Thursday, June 17, 1999

"The treaty's final draft would now prohibit forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict" but allow voluntary enlistment."

Clinton Pushes for Treaty to Ban the Worst Child Labor Practices

By JANE PERLEZ

GENEVA -- Appealing for a "human face" on the global economy, President Clinton urged the International Labor Organization on Wednesday to adopt a treaty that would ban the most abusive child labor practices, including the use of children in pornography and prostitution.

The speech to the 174-member organization, Clinton's first appearance of his six-day European trip, underlined the administration's insistence that free trade does not have to mean increased abuse of impoverished workers in developing countries. In short, the administration argues that the global economy can be both "free and fair."

"As we press for more open trade, we must do more to insure that all our people are lifted by the global economy," Clinton said before delegates of the labor organization gathered for their annual conference at the U.N. building here.

Among the conditions that the new treaty would outlaw are work dealing with toxic substances, and labor that is deemed harmful to children's health, safety or morals.

Clinton declared his support for the treaty after a compromise was reached on the recruitment of people under 18 year old into the military. The United States and Britain recruit 17-year-old volunteers. The treaty's final draft would now prohibit forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict" but allow voluntary enlistment.

In another compromise, the treaty does not include in its list of "worst forms" of child labor, work that deprives children of education, a goal that some developing countries said was unrealistic.

But Clinton used as a success story a program in Pakistan where the labor organization and the U.N. International Children's Education Fund joined forces to remove children under 14 from soccer ball production and replaced them with women needing the work. The children then were given a chance to attend school, Clinton said.

As a worst case, Clinton singled out Myanmar, formerly Burma, where, he said, the labor organization just reported that "flagrant violation of human rights persists, and I urge the ILO governing body to take definite steps."

In a recent report, the labor organization said 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 worked, mostly in Asia and Africa.

To reinforce the treaty that is expected to be adopted here and which the White House is urging the Senate to approve, Clinton issued an executive order last weekend directing government agencies not to buy products made by forced child labor. The order mandates preparation of a list of countries and products that may involve forced labor. All government agencies must then consult the list before purchasing and contractors must certify child labor is not involved in their products.

The child labor treaty does not include economic sanctions against countries that do not enforce the provisions. Instead, the labor organization has adopted stepped-up reporting of child labor abuses so that the policies of countries that persist in the practices are made known.