Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2020, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - United States of America (Ratification: 1999)

The Committee takes note of the supplementary information provided by the Government in light of the decision adopted by the Governing Body at its 338th Session (June 2020). The Committee proceeded with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the supplementary information received from the Government this year as well as on the basis of the information at its disposal in 2019.

Articles 3(a), 7(1) and 7(2)(b) of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Sale and trafficking of children, penalties and assistance to victims. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report, with reference to the Attorney General’s Annual Report to Congress and Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons, that the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section within the Department of Justice (DOJ) provides subject-matter expertise on the sexual exploitation of minors in any form, including foreign and domestic child sex trafficking, technology-facilitated child sex trafficking, and child sex tourism. Moreover, in 2018, the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit under the Department of Homeland Security identified and rescued 859 child victims, initiated 4,158 cases, conducted 3,191 criminal arrests, received 1,982 indictments, and achieved 1,703 convictions.

The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was reauthorized through the year of 2021. Moreover, approximately $1.9 million was granted by DOJ in 2019 to three mentoring project sites and one training site under the Mentoring for Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Domestic Sex Trafficking Initiative, aimed at enhancing the capacity of organizations to respond to the needs of child victims and to provide specialized victim services. The Committee further notes the supplementary information provided by the Government in 2020, according to which, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued 892 Eligibility Letters to foreign child victims of trafficking to be eligible for federally funded benefits and services to the same extent as refugees. In addition, HHS provides funds for various victim identification and protection programmes. In 2019, 144 child victims received case management services under the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program, while 67 child victims were identified and referred through outreach and awareness programs. Taking due note of the various measures and initiatives undertaken by the Government, the Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to eliminate the trafficking of children for both labour and sexual exploitation. It requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken in this regard and the results achieved, including: i) the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions applied for the offence of trafficking of children; ii) the number of child victims identified and removed, as well as the number of those who received appropriate assistance.