As part of Poverty Week, the International Lawyers Guild sponsored a talk on International Child Poverty last Wednesday.

The hour-long event, which took place in the College of Law, featured speakers Lauren Schrag and Lacey Stange of the Global Volunteer Network.

It also included a brief introduction from the Vice President of Amnesty International in Denver, Nicole Salamander.

Approximately 30 people attended the discussion. After a brief introduction to child labor practices the group watched part of the documentary film, “A Journey into Child Labor.”

The film, the work of 12-year old Canadian-born Craig Kielburger evoked much emotion among the group of mostly law students. “It made me feel extremely privileged,” said Alicia Roush, a law student at DU.

After the movie Schrag and Stange handed out a fact sheet and discussed how the Protect Act passed in April of 2003 has helped in combating child labor practices.

They explained how the law prevents Americans who travel abroad from having illegal sex with minors.

This is important because many of the countries where these acts occur cannot afford to prosecute foreigners themselves.

The talk concluded with a discussion on products manufactured with child labor and companies that support child labor. Stange and Schrag asked that the audience help in someway to support the Stop Child Poverty campaign.

They suggested either sponsoring a child in countries such as Kenya, Peru or Nepal or making sure to buy fair trade products.

Schrag, a student in the Graduate School of International Studies said, “it is important to get the word out [on child labor practices] educate people and engage students.”