Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking

The Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) is part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). The office was created in 1993 in response to a request from Congress to investigate and report on child labor around the world. As domestic and international concern about child labor grew, OCFT’s activities significantly expanded. Today, these activities include conducting research on international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking; funding and overseeing cooperative agreements and contracts to organizations engaged in efforts to eliminate exploitive child labor around the world; and assisting in the development and implementation of U.S. government policy on international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking issues.