WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has awarded a $13 million cooperative agreement to nongovernmental organization Desarrollo y Autogestión to combat exploitative child labor in Peru. To implement the project, Desarrollo y Autogestión will partner with World Learning, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, and DESCO, a development organization.

"Ending exploitative child labor would have global benefits," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This grant provides critical funding to bring us closer to that goal by providing targeted assistance to families and governments."

The project will target exploitative child labor in the provinces of Huancavelica, Pasco and Junín. Funds will be used to increase access to quality education, promote sustainable livelihoods and link beneficiaries to national social protection programs so families do not need to rely on child labor to meet basic needs.

The project will engage local indigenous leaders and communities, and will benefit from the experience of Desarrollo y Autogestión in combating exploitative child labor among indigenous populations in Ecuador and Bolivia. It is designed to complement and support the government of Peru's strategies to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Since 1995, Congress has appropriated approximately $840 million to the Labor Department to support global efforts to combat exploitative child labor. As a result, the department has rescued approximately 1.5 million children from exploitative child labor. More information on the department's efforts is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/