US Department of Labor awards $3M to empower Cambodian organizations of persons with disabilities address labor exploitation, barriers to decent work

News Release

US Department of Labor awards $3M to empower Cambodian organizations of persons with disabilities address labor exploitation, barriers to decent work

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $3 million award to Humanity & Inclusion to strengthen the capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities and their key stakeholders in Cambodia to address labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work.

Administered by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the award will aid Humanity & Inclusion, an independent humanitarian organization working alongside persons with disabilities in situations of poverty, exclusion, conflict and disaster to improve labor rights for persons with disabilities. Through the project, the organization will also support access to decent work, which is work that ensures the rights of persons with disabilities are protected, generates an adequate income and secures social protection.

The announcement coincides with the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities and aligns with this year's theme of "amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future." Each year, this day raises awareness of the rights and well-being of more than one billion people who live with some form of disability, 80 percent of whom live in developing nations.

The funding will support organizations of persons with disabilities and key stakeholders to research the link between persons with disabilities and their vulnerability to labor exploitation and barriers to decent work. It will also enhance coordination and partnerships and support sustainable ways to target barriers to the economic empowerment of persons with disabilities and address their vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and human trafficking.

The grant will also help address and support the unique needs of persons with various types of disabilities, with a particular focus on those who face greater exclusion, such as children, women and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities.

Learn more about the department's international work.