ILAB publishes three reports on international child labor and forced labor that serve as valuable resources for research, advocacy, government action and corporate responsibility. These reports are The Department of Labor's Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor; the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor; and the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. Each of these reports has a distinct mandate, focus and set of implications, but taken collectively, they document the current situation of child labor, forced labor and forced child labor around the world.
ILAB as a Knowledge Generator
ILAB’s research and reporting are carried out under Congressional mandates and Presidential directives. They provide specific, actionable information to various stakeholders about how to combat labor abuses in countries around the world.
- Foreign governments use the reports to strengthen laws, enforcement, policies, and programs for vulnerable children and families in or at-risk of child labor or forced labor.
- Companies rely on these reports to inform risk assessments, to conduct due diligence on their supply chains, and to develop strategies to address the problem.
- Consumers use our research to minimize the risk that their purchases inadvertently support exploitative labor practices around the world.
- Civil society organizations, including academic institutions, use the reports to inform advocacy efforts to assist victims.
- U.S. federal government agencies use the reports to safeguard federal procurement and guard against the importation of goods made with forced labor, including forced child labor.
Other Research
ILAB funds research projects that develop and pilot new tools and methodologies that deepen our knowledge and understanding of child labor and forced labor, including their root causes. ILAB programming has supported:
- The collection and analysis of credible data on child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking from over 90 national child labor surveys and 10 surveys focused on forced labor or forced child labor;
- The development of new survey methodologies, qualitative and quantitative studies, and statistical guidelines on child labor and forced labor; and
- The establishment of global estimates on child labor and forced labor, which serve as the standard for measuring worldwide progress on these issues.
Focusing on the efforts of certain U.S. trade beneficiary countries and territories to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement mechanisms, policies and social programs.
Listing goods that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor, including, to the extent practicable, goods that are produced with inputs that are produced with forced labor or child labor.
Containing goods and their source countries that ILAB, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, have reason to believe are made by forced or indentured child labor.
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Related
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor
- Executive Order 13126 List of Products
- All ILAB Publications on Child Labor & Forced Labor
Resources
Submissions
The Office of Forced Labor, Child Labor and Human Trafficking is continuously collecting information and encourages submissions by national governments, international organizations, businesses and corporations, trade and workers' organizations, NGOs, academia, and the general public. We review all submissions as they are received. Submissions are welcome at any time.
To submit comments on or information for the TDA report, please email GlobalKids@dol.gov; fax to 202-693-4830; or mail to ILAB, U.S. Department of Labor, c/o OCFT Research and Policy Unit, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
DOL's mission is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States. This DOL mission is carried out by a variety of sub-agencies and offices (DOL agencies) covering domestic and international policy engagements, workforce development, enforcement, statistics, and benefits. DOL has a responsibility to protect the integrity of scientific information that is produced, communicated, and used across DOL agencies to better carry out its mission. ILAB is committed to using the highest possible scientific integrity and quality standards and practices to conduct our critical work. Scientific integrity is the adherence to professional practices, ethical behavior, and the principles of honesty and objectivity when conducting, managing, using the results of, and communicating about science and scientific activities. Inclusivity, transparency, and protection from inappropriate influence are hallmarks of scientific integrity.