List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 grow cabbages in Paraguay. In 2016, the Government of Paraguay published representative results from the Survey of Activities of Rural Area Children and Adolescents 2015. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. According to the survey, almost 13 percent of Paraguayan children engaged in child labor in agriculture do not attend school. The survey estimates that 4,146 child laborers grow cabbages throughout rural areas in Paraguay. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Paraguay’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

Spanish Translation

There are reports that children are forced to produce carpets in Nepal. Children age 14 and older are found in registered carpet factories, while children younger than 14 are found in informal, unregistered carpet factories. Carpet factories are concentrated in the Kathmandu Valley. Some children work alone or with their families as bonded laborers in the factories. Most children do not receive payment for their work. Some children work to pay off advance payments for their labor made by the employer to the recruiter or their families. These children live in the factory or nearby in accommodations provided by the employer. The children are not free to leave until the debt has been repaid. Many of the children are forced to work long hours and overtime, up to 18 hours per day; many cannot leave the factory even after they have completed their long workday. Such children are punished by employers for refusing to work, missing production quotas, falling asleep, or making mistakes.

Nepali translation

There are reports that children as young as age five are forced to work in the production of carpets, often through a system of bonded labor. Based on reports from the ILO and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), as many as half a million children have been producing carpets under conditions of forced labor throughout the country. Children of migrants, refugees, and impoverished families are particularly vulnerable to this practice. Typical of the Pakistani “peshgis” system, children are often sent to work to pay off their family's debt. Families accept a loan in the form of advanced payment for a year of their child's work, and the child is prohibited from leaving the workplace until the debt is paid in full. The children live in the workplace, away from their families, and do not have the freedom to leave. Some children are forced to work without equipment to protect them from exposure to toxic chemicals and dust. The children are paid little, and deductions are taken from their wages for food and shelter. Some children are fined or beaten for any mistakes.

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 grow carrots in Paraguay. In 2016, the Government of Paraguay published representative results from the Survey of Activities of Rural Area Children and Adolescents 2015. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. According to the survey, almost 13 percent of Paraguayan children engaged in child labor in agriculture do not attend school. The survey estimates that 4,877 child laborers grow carrots throughout rural areas in Paraguay. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Paraguay’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

Spanish Translation

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 grow cashews in Vietnam. According to the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, the results of which were published in 2014, an estimated 14,469 child laborers work to grow cashews. Approximately 55.7 percent, or 8,059, of these child laborers are under 15 years old, which is the minimum age for employment in Vietnam. Of the estimated 14,469 child laborers who grow cashews, 24.3 percent are 5-11 years old, 31.4 percent are 12-14 years old, and 44.3 percent are 15-17 years old. The survey considers a child to be engaged in child labor if the child is working an excessive number of hours per week for his or her age, or if the child is engaged in work that is prohibited for underage employees according to national legislation. 

Vietnamese Translation

There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 are involved in cattle-raising activities in Bolivia. Based on an analysis of Bolivia’s 2019 Survey of Girls, Boys, and Adolescents, an estimated 33,806 child laborers are involved in cattle raising. Herding, shepherding, and handling livestock are considered hazardous work for children. Injuries from animals include being bitten, butted, jostled, or stampeded, and diseases can be contracted through routine contact with animals and insects. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Bolivia’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

Spanish Translation

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 are engaged in cattle raising in El Salvador. According to the Government of El Salvador’s Multi-Purpose Household Survey of 2015, a working child is considered to be engaged in hazardous child labor if the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. The survey estimates that 123,259 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous child labor in El Salvador, including using dangerous tools, carrying heavy loads, working with chemicals, working long or night shifts, and being exposed to dust, smoke, or extreme heat or humidity. Approximately 3,698 of these children in hazardous child labor are engaged in cattle raising. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of El Salvador’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. 

Spanish Translation

There are reports that children are involved in cattle-raising activities in Kenya. According to U.S. government and media reports, school-age children provide duties related to tending and caring for animals, often requiring them to travel long distances from home and be absent from school. Kenya law identifies cattle herding as a hazardous work activity for children. Children’s engagement in cattle herding is endemic across Kenya, particularly in the arid northern regions of the country, including Busia, Kajiado, and Marsabit Counties, and in Migori County in Western Kenya.

There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 17 are involved in cattle raising in Mexico.  Based on an analysis of Mexico’s National Survey of Occupation and Employment – Child Labor Module 2017, an estimated 18,501 children work in cattle raising.  According to Mexico’s national legislation, agricultural activities, which include cattle raising, are considered to be hazardous occupations and are prohibited for children younger than age 18.  The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Mexico’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgment that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

Spanish Translation

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 raise cattle in Paraguay. National legislation designates cattle raising as a hazardous activity prohibited for children in Paraguay. In 2016, the Government of Paraguay published representative results from the Survey of Activities of Rural Area Children and Adolescents 2015. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. According to the survey, almost 13 percent of Paraguayan children engaged in child labor in agriculture do not attend school. The survey estimates that 142,127 child laborers raise cattle throughout rural areas in Paraguay. Approximately 67,141 child laborers raising cattle are below the minimum age for employment in Paraguay. The survey indicates that more boys than girls are engaged in child labor in cattle raising. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Paraguay’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. 

There are reports that children, especially boys, are abducted and forced to herd cattle in South Sudan. Hundreds of abductions have been reported, particularly in communities in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states. The children are abducted when rival tribes or ethnic groups enter communities to steal cattle, as well as during other inter-ethnic or inter-tribal disputes; some of these children are enslaved to herd cattle.

There is evidence that children under the age of 18 raise cattle in Tanzania. Based on an analysis of the Tanzania Integrated Labour Force Survey 2020/21, it is estimated that 347,957 child laborers raise cattle. Children who work with livestock may be at risk of exposure to hazards including working long hours, being injured by the animals, and exposure to the elements, diseases, and chemicals such as disinfectants. The Government of Tanzania should be commended for conducting and publishing survey data that help to design and implement sound policies and programs to address child labor.

Swahili translation

There are reports that adults are forced to produce caustic soda in China. Caustic soda has a wide variety of uses in industrial processes, including as an input to cleaning products and refining in mining activities. Research indicates that Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are frequently subjected to forced labor as a result of state-sponsored labor transfer programs. Workers, often from poor rural areas, have been placed in factories in industrial areas within the XUAR, and have also been transferred to factories in other parts of China. China is the world’s largest producer of caustic soda, and approximately 16% of China’s production is based in Xinjiang. Caustic soda manufacturers work with the Chinese government to make use of ethnic minority groups for exploitative labor, often receiving financial incentives. Academic researchers, media, and think tanks report that companies and government entities frequently engage in coercive recruitment, limit workers’ freedom of movement and communication, and subjected workers to constant surveillance, religious retribution, exclusion from community and social life, physical violence, and threats to family members.

Chinese Translation

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 are engaged in the production of cereal grains in El Salvador. According to the Government of El Salvador’s Multi-Purpose Household Survey of 2015, a working child is considered to be engaged in hazardous child labor if the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. The survey estimates that 123,259 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous child labor in El Salvador, including using dangerous tools, carrying heavy loads, working with chemicals, working long or night shifts, and being exposed to dust, smoke, or extreme heat or humidity. Approximately 40,675 of these children in hazardous child labor are engaged in the production of cereal grains. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of El Salvador’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. 

Spanish Translation

There are reports that men and women are forced to work in the production of chile peppers in Mexico. According to media reports, NGOs, and the U.S. Department of State, there are hundreds of forced labor victims working to produce chile peppers. Many of these victims report being recruited by middlemen, called enganchadores, that lie to workers about the nature and conditions of the work, wages, hours, and quality of living conditions. Sources report that cases of forced labor in chile peppers production predominantly occurs in small and medium holder farms and have been found in states such as Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco, and San Luis Potosi. According to available reports, indigenous farmworkers from impoverished regions of central and southern Mexico are particularly vulnerable to forced labor in the agricultural sector due to low education levels, linguistic barriers, and discrimination. Once on the farms, some men and women work up to 15 hours per day under the threat of dismissal and receive subminimum wage payments or no payment at all. There are reports of some workers being threatened with physical violence or physically abused for leaving their jobs. Workers also report finding themselves in overcrowded and unsanitary housing facilities with no access to potable water, latrines, electricity, and medical care. Some workers face growing indebtedness to company stores that often inflate the prices of their goods, forcing workers to purchase provisions on credit and limiting their ability to leave the farms. 

Spanish Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products made in Côte d’Ivoire are produced with an input made with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Côte d’Ivoire. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire produced with child labor, forced labor, and forced child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Based on the most recently available estimate from NORC at the University of Chicago, the prevalence rate of child labor in cocoa production among cocoa growing households is 41%, meaning about 790,000 children work in child labor in cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire. These cocoa-growing households produce the vast majority Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa beans. Thus, products that rely heavily on cocoa beans originating from Côte d’Ivoire are at high risk of having an input produced with child labor. In 2022, the Netherlands imported 39% of its cocoa beans, 62% of its cocoa paste, 33% of its cocoa butter, and 31% of its cocoa powder from Côte d’Ivoire, using these inputs to produce cocoa and chocolate products. The availability of continued research demonstrates the Government of Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Côte d’Ivoire’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products made in Ghana are produced with an input made with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Ghana. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Ghana produced with child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Based on the most recently available estimate from NORC at the University of Chicago, the prevalence rate of child labor in cocoa production among cocoa growing households is 55%, meaning an estimated 765,754 children work in child labor in cocoa production in Ghana. These cocoa growing households produce the vast majority of Ghana’s cocoa beans. Thus, products that rely heavily on cocoa beans originating from Ghana are at risk of having an input produced with child labor. The availability of this research demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Ghana’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products produced in the Netherlands are produced with an input produced with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Ghana and Côte
d’Ivoire. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Ghana was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 for child labor. Cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 for child labor, forced labor, and forced child labor. In 2022, the Netherlands imported 10.72% of its cocoa beans from Ghana and 39% from Côte d’Ivoire; 27.4% of its cocoa paste from Ghana and 62% from Côte d’Ivoire; 27.96% of its cocoa butter from Ghana and 33% from Côte d’Ivoire; and 29.47% of its cocoa powder from Ghana and 31% from Côte d’Ivoire, using these inputs to produce cocoa and chocolate products. The availability of this research demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s and Government of Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. The Netherlands has also undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at eradicating child labor from the cocoa sector. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Ghana’s and Côte d’Ivoire’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

ILAB has reason to believe that cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Malawi are made with an input produced with child labor and forced labor, specifically tobacco from Malawi. Tobacco from Malawi produced with child labor and forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 and added to ILAB’s List of Products Produced with Forced or Indentured Child Labor that same year for forced child labor. Thousands of children and adults work on tobacco farms in Malawi, with many hired through deceptive recruitment practices and working in debt bondage, and many facing withholding of wages and the inability to leave employment due to threats of reprisal. Tobacco from different sources is often mixed at the point of sale and at leaf buying facilities. Ninety percent of Malawi’s tobacco is exported abroad. The remaining 10% of Malawi’s unmanufactured tobacco is used to manufacture tobacco products in Malawi, including cigarettes, primarily for domestic use.

ILAB has reason to believe that cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Russia are made with an input produced with child labor and forced labor, specifically tobacco from Malawi. Tobacco from Malawi produced with child labor and forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 and added to ILAB’s List of Products Produced with Forced or Indentured Child Labor that same year for forced child labor. Thousands of children and adults work on tobacco farms in Malawi, with many hired through deceptive recruitment practices and working in debt bondage, and many facing withholding of wages and the inability to leave employment due to threats of reprisal. Tobacco from different sources is often mixed at the point of sale and at leaf buying facilities. Ninety percent of Malawi’s tobacco is exported abroad. In 2021, Russia imported $73 million in unmanufactured tobacco from Malawi, often for use in cigarette production.

Russian Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Ukraine are made with an input produced with child labor and forced labor, specifically tobacco from Malawi. Tobacco from Malawi produced with child labor and forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 and added to ILAB’s List of Products Produced with Forced or Indentured Child Labor that same year for forced child labor. Thousands of children and adults work on tobacco farms in Malawi, with many hired through deceptive recruitment practices and working in debt bondage, and many facing withholding of wages and the inability to leave employment due to threats of reprisals. Tobacco from different sources is often mixed at the point of sale and at leaf buying facilities. Ninety percent of Malawi’s tobacco is exported abroad. In 2023, Ukraine imported $15.75 million in unmanufactured tobacco from Malawi, often for use in cigarette production.

Ukrainian Translation