Mansfield Fellow Joins Dialogue on Government Polices Addressing Child Labor
November 10, 2016
Mansfield Fellow Joins Dialogue on Government Polices Addressing Child Labor
Earlier this fall MFP No. 21 Fellow Lauren Damme (U.S. Department of Labor) participated in a dialogue on government policies to address the issue of child labor. The September 26 luncheon discussion was hosted by Action against Child Exploitation (ACE), a Japan-based non-governmental organization, under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Guest speaker former U.S. Senator Thomas Harkin shared insights with participants, including four members of Japan’s Diet, on U.S. efforts to combat child labor around the world and how Japan can help reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending child labor by 2025. Ms. Damme shared the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) research and efforts to combat child labor, including its annual report, Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, and the “Sweat and Toil” data app, a comprehensive resource created by the DOL’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). She is pictured above showing the app to participants including Mr. Harkin. Ms. Damme is an International Relations Officer in the Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking. Her current placement is with the Japan International Cooperation Agency.