News Release
US Department of Labor announces updates in reporting, enhanced tools to bolster efforts to combat child, forced labor globally
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced updates on the goods and products produced through the use of child or forced labor, the industries where children are exploited and how governments can combat these abuses.
The department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has published the 11th edition of its “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” and the 23rd edition of the “Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.” In addition to identifying the types of products, the industries involved and where they exist, the reports assist foreign governments in developing effective policy responses, and support businesses’ due diligence and risk management in their supply chains.
The International Labor Organization estimates millions of people worldwide are working in abusive labor conditions, including 160 million children in child labor and nearly 28 million people in forced labor.
“These reports provide important guidance as we work to strategically reduce labor exploitation globally, particularly egregious child labor and forced labor practices,” explained Acting Secretary Julie Su. “Sadly, the U.S. is not immune to these abuses amid a significant increase here in the number of children employed illegally. We will use our education and enforcement powers to hold U.S. employers accountable and to work with global partners to eradicate the scourge of child and forced labor wherever it exists.”
The latest List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor includes 204 goods from 82 countries that the department has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. The 11th edition includes 72 additions, including a record of 37 goods not included on the list previously such as jujubes, lead, nickel, polyvinyl chloride and squid, and removes Argentinian blueberries Cambodian salt, Thai shrimp and Mongolian fluorspar from the list.
The report also includes several studies tracing goods tainted with forced or child labor through complex global supply chains. The list adds 43 goods made with inputs that are produced with child labor or forced labor. These include cotton textile products from China and Vietnam produced with Chinese cotton, food and beverage products linked to child labor in cocoa industries in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire and sugar products tied to forced labor in the sugarcane industry in the Dominican Republic.
The 23rd Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor examines child labor situations in 131 countries and territories, including trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor, hazardous work, commercial sexual exploitation and the use of children in armed conflict or illicit activities. The report details how their governments are working to eliminate child labor and offers nearly 1,900 specific recommendations by country. Notably, enforcement gaps account for 36 percent of the suggested actions, the single largest category. The 23rd edition features an improved design with enhanced visuals and policy overviews.
In addition to publishing these reports, ILAB has updated its tools and apps that provide ready access to information for seeking to bring an end to child and forced labor. The Comply Chain website provides companies detailed guidance for developing worker-driven, social compliance systems in global supply chains and preventing labor abuses in the production of company’s goods. The Sweat & Toil app supplies information on goods produced by child labor or forced labor, and how governments are addressing the problem. The app’s data visualizations help users identify regional trends in eliminating child labor, view goods produced with exploitative labor by region and industry and analyze the use of child labor by industry and country.
The agency has also updated its online Better Trade Tool, a compliance and accountability resource that overlays international trade data on the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor and highlights U.S. imports at higher risk of being produced using child or forced labor.
The ILAB Knowledge Portal is also available for researchers, civil society organizations, other governments and international organizations seeking to implement best practices in combating child labor and forced labor. Users can access and search publicly available, grant-supported resources and evaluation reports to bolster their efforts.
