SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR – U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced on Thursday that the United States will contribute $10 million to support child labor eradication efforts in El Salvador.

“The eradication of child labor is a necessary task that binds us all together and has global benefits for everyone,” said Secretary Solis. “Economic development, the promotion of decent work and a more inclusive society cannot be reached if working children and their parents do not have rights, access, and concrete opportunities allowing them to have a dignified life.”

The announcement came during Solis’ trip to the Latin American nation to engage in meetings regarding child labor. So far, she has participated in talks with President Mauricio Funes, Minister of Labor Victoria Marina Velásquez and other members of the Salvadoran cabinet.

El Salvador has been one of the leading nations in efforts to combat child labor. In 2000, it was one of the first countries in the world, and the first in the region, to commit to a program to combat the worst forms of child labor and exploitation.

The U.S. Labor Department has supported El Salvador’s programs against child labor for more than a decade. It has financed efforts that have benefited over 38,000 children working or exploited in sugar cane production, coffee harvesting, shellfish extraction, fireworks production, garbage collection and sexual exploitation.

The newly announced aid will support a project that involves a close work-relationship with El Salvador to tackle the root causes of child labor in “Comunidades Solidarias,” communities that El Salvador has identified as the most disadvantaged.

The ambitious $10 million project will be implemented by International Labor Organization’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC).