The American Apparel & Footwear Association has warned Trump administration cuts to spending on international labour programmes risk harming US business interests.

The US Department of Labour is ending all grants run by its Bureau of International Affairs (ILAB), cancelling more than $500 million in funding for initiatives that combat child labour, forced labour and human trafficking, The Washington Post reported this week.

“ILAB, through its grants, technical assistance, and direct support, works to build institutions in countries around the world so that they can effectively raise labor standards and eliminate opportunities for less scrupulous foreign businesses to profit from labor abuses while American businesses and workers play by the rules,” the AAFA said in a statement Wednesday. “With today’s elimination of ILAB’s grants, we will be moving from an even playing field to an uphill battle.”

The move comes on top of steep cuts to America’s international aid spending announced earlier this month.

The ILAB cuts affect fashion industry initiatives including a programme to address violence against women in Lesotho, efforts prevent forced labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry and the UN’s Better Work programme, which supports many brands’ labour rights initiatives.

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