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Question 1: How did you select the countries to be studied in the project, and is this project an extension of the May and June, 2008 hearings and requests for information for the purpose of developing a List of Products Produced by Child/Forced Labor?
USDOL Response: ILAB staff perform ongoing research on child and forced labor, which allows it to identify countries where such labor may exist and where further research is needed. Such is the case here, where 4 mandatory countries were selected for inclusion in the SGA based upon information obtained in past and ongoing ILAB research. However, in recognition that the study of child and forced labor is far from complete, the SGA provides an applicant with broad discretion in proposing 4 other countries for research.
This research will contribute to ILAB’s efforts in collecting information on child and forced labor. As the SGA states, “since 1994, ILAB has published over 20 congressionally mandated reports on international child labor. In addition to its own research, USDOL has funded projects aimed at building the knowledge base on child labor, forced labor and human trafficking worldwide for the purposes of improving program planning, policy design and impact measurement. Research projects have included the collection of child labor data through national surveys, rapid assessments, and baseline studies; special and thematic studies; comprehensive literature reviews on forced labor, child labor and human trafficking; and the development of creative and innovative methodologies to measure child labor, forced and bonded labor, and human trafficking.” Just as ILAB’s recent public hearing was aimed at gathering information on child and forced labor in the production of goods, SGA 08-07 is part of ILAB’s long-standing and continuing commitment to building the knowledge base on these issues.
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