MEXICO CITY, June 12, 2008 - In observation of World Day Against Child Labor, World Vision will launch a report titled, "In Exchange for My Childhood", a series on Child Labor and Exploitation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report explains forms of exploitive child labor throughout 13 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report will be released at 10 a.m. at the former Corpus Christi Temple, in the Historical Center of Mexico City and is part of World Vision's effort to raise public awareness about the issues facing child laborers throughout Latin America.

"Everyday, all over Latin America, children see their innocence sacrificed in the pursuit of meager resources just to survive," said Carmen Perez, Operations Director for World Vision Mexico. "They are often abused and neglected at home - and they are certainly exploited in their work environments. The impact of this exploitation continues for generations as they lose educational opportunities and raise their own children to work before they're ready to."

Each chapter in the report reveals one form of child labor in countries as diverse as Chile, Bolivia, Brazil Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti and Mexico. The chapters include interviews, statistics, and profiles of children who work in mines, factories, homes, markets, farms, shops and on streets and mountaintops.

Perez will be available for interviews throughout today and tomorrow. For links to the report chapters in Spanish and English, please see: http://www.visionmundial.org/documentos.php?id_idioma=2&mostrar=si&cat=5

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World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. We serve all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press