DOL Releases Sixth List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor
Required by law, the new list contains 363 types of goods from countries that range alphabetically from Afghanistan to Zambia.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs released the sixth edition of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor on Dec. 1, with 363 types of goods on it. Countries on the list range alphabetically from Afghanistan to Zambia, with China, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, and Egypt listed.
The publication is mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA), and DOL announced that the bureau also complied with Executive Order 13126—signed by President Bill Clinton in 1999—by publishing an initial determination to add carpets from India to its List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. There are 35 products on this second list, from countries that include China, India, Nepal, Burma, and even Russia. TVPRA requires the list be submitted to Congress no later than Dec. 1, 2014, and every two years thereafter.
"There's a story behind each item on these lists — a child facing back-breaking labor without education or other opportunities for a better life or an adult trapped in a dismal job through deceit or threats," said U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. "These lists raise awareness about child and forced labor. Through collective efforts we can and must work together to end these cycles of exploitation."
The 11 goods made with child labor that were added for the sixth edition of the first list are: garments from Bangladesh; cotton and sugarcane from India; vanilla from Madagascar; fish from Kenya; fish from Yemen; alcoholic beverages, meat, textiles, and timber from Cambodia; and palm oil from Malaysia. One good, electronics from Malaysia, has been added to the TVPRA List, which was first published in September 2009, for being produced with forced labor.
"By publishing these lists, our goal is to shed light on the plight of the estimated 168 million child laborers and 21 million forced laborers around the world, especially as they relate specifically to goods we use every day," said Carol Pier, deputy undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs. "Child labor and forced labor are fundamental human rights violations, and they are also bad business practices that stifle economic development. We look forward to continuing our engagement with these countries, and with stakeholders in the highlighted sectors, to help end this labor exploitation and promote inclusive economic growth."
The EO 13126 List is intended to ensure that U.S. federal agencies do not procure goods made by forced or indentured child labor. Under procurement regulations, federal contractors who supply products on the EO 13126 List must certify that they have made a good-faith effort to determine whether forced or indentured child labor was used to produce the items supplied.