In 1984, the coalition fought for legislation linking the granting of U.S. trade and investment benefits to a country's respect for basic human rights. In 1986, they launched the International Labor Rights Education & Research Fund (its name was later shortened to the International Labor Rights Fund, (ILRF)) to monitor enforcement of these laws and to develop other means to protect workers' rights. Through the years, the ILRF has grown to become an instrumental force in stimulating solutions to the issues and problems of worker rights and labor standards around the world. Many of our successes have resulted from participation in and leadership of NGO coalitions; close collaboration with trade unions, other human rights groups, religious and consumer organizations; and ongoing dialogue with governments and businesses.
ILRF Successes
Global March Against Child Labor - a worldwide campaign that mobilized millions of people in over 100 countries to promote the passage of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
Workers in the Global Economy - produced groundbreaking analysis of the effects of trade rules on workers (Developing Effective Mechanisms for Implementing Labor Rights in the Global Economy).
World Bank - Worked with trade unions and NGOs in Brazil and Central America to bring about the first successful efforts to demand public accountability on labor rights violations in World Bank Projects.
FOULBALL Campaign - raised public awareness of the pervasive use of child labor in the production of soccer balls, and convinced major soccer ball producers to stop the use of child labor.
RUGMARK - established RUGMARK in the U.S., an innovative program which moves child laborers in the carpet industry from work to school, and helped create a system of international governance for RUGMARK. To date, the program has certified over two million child labor-free carpets.
Trade Policies - Created the first ever social clause in U.S. trade legislation (Generalized
System of Preferences), and used this example to add labor rights conditionality to numerous subsequent U.S. laws .
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