WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of up to $12.4 million in grant funding for three organizations to reduce child and forced labor in Mexico and support migrant workers. 

The funding includes $4.4 million to Verite, Inc. to increase locally-led actions that address child labor and forced labor in the municipalities of Chiapas and San Luis Potosí. Verite aims for its project to increase capacity and collaboration among stakeholders—municipal government, the private sector, workers and civil society—to coordinate, design and implement initiatives to combat these labor issues.

The department also awarded $5 million to the Pan American Development Foundation to address child labor, forced labor and other labor violations and to promote the rights of workers in the domestic work sector in Mexico City and Queretaro. The project will provide a range of services to promote labor rights for domestic workers, including leadership development, skills training, and access to legal and social services for children and adults.