List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) maintains a list of goods and their source countries which it has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards, as required under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2005 and subsequent reauthorizations. The List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor comprises 204 goods from 82 countries and areas, as of September 5, 2024.
The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 directs that the List include, "to the extent practicable, goods that are produced with inputs that are produced with forced labor or child labor."
ILAB maintains the List primarily to raise public awareness about forced labor and child labor around the world and to promote efforts to combat them; it is not intended to be punitive, but rather to serve as a catalyst for more strategic and focused coordination and collaboration among those working to address these problems.
Previous TVPRA List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor
2022
- List of Goods (Full Report) (PDF)
- List of Downstream Goods (Excel)
- List of Goods (Bibliography) (PDF)
Publication of the List has resulted in new opportunities for ILAB to engage with foreign governments to combat forced labor and child labor. It is also a valuable resource for researchers, advocacy organizations and companies wishing to carry out risk assessments and engage in due diligence on labor rights in their supply chains.
The countries on the List span every region of the world. The most common agricultural goods listed are sugarcane, cotton, coffee, tobacco, cattle, rice, and fish. In the manufacturing sector, bricks, garments, textiles, footwear, carpets, and fireworks appear most frequently. In mined or quarried goods, gold, coal and diamonds are most common.
ILAB published the initial TVPRA List in 2009 and updated it annually through 2014, following a set of procedural guidelines that were the product of an intensive public consultation process. ILAB now updates and publishes the List every other year, pursuant to changes in the law.
Procedural Guidelines
On January 25, 2024, ILAB's Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking published Procedural Guidelines for the development and maintenance of the List of Goods from countries produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards.
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.
Country/Area Sort descending | Good | Exploitation Type |
---|---|---|
Bangladesh | Child Labor | |
Bangladesh | Child Labor | |
Belarus | There are reports that political prisoners in Belarus are forced to produce furniture. The Belarusian state penal system includes 20 state-owned woodworking enterprises employing approximately 8,000 prisoners, including hundreds of political prisoners. These enterprises use forced labor from political prisoners to produce various furniture parts and finished furniture. Political prisoners include human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, artists, writers, trade unionists, and activists, imprisoned for expression of political views and peaceful assemblies against the government’s regime and repression. Political prisoners are singled out in the prisons by wearing yellow bibs, treated more harshly than regular prisoners, work long hours without a day off, and work under hazardous conditions that often result in injuries. Refusal to work is often punished with solitary confinement and sometimes with torture, as well as deprivation of food, water,or sleep. |
Forced Labor |
Belarus | There are reports that political prisoners in Belarus are forced to produce lumber. The Belarusian state penal system includes 20 state-owned woodworking enterprises employing approximately 8,000 prisoners, including hundreds of political prisoners. These enterprises use forced labor from political prisoners to produce various lumber goods such as laminated chipboard, planks, plywood parts, sawn wood, and pallets. Political prisoners include human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, artists, writers, trade unionists, and activists, imprisoned for expression of political views and peaceful assemblies against the government’s regime and repression. Political prisoners are singled out in the prisons by wearing yellow bibs, treated more harshly than regular prisoners, work long hours without a day off, and work under hazardous conditions that often result in injuries. Refusal to work is often punished with solitary confinement and sometimes with torture, as well as deprivation of food, water, or sleep. |
Forced Labor |
Belize | Child Labor | |
Belize | Child Labor | |
Belize | Child Labor | |
Benin | There are reports that children ages 6-17 are forced to produce cotton in Benin. Cotton is grown primarily in the north, such as in Banikoara, and according to NGOs and international organizations, many of the children are trafficked or migrate to this area from other parts of the country, or from Burkina Faso or Togo. Some children are lured by traffickers with false promises about working conditions or terms. Some children work on year-long contracts and are not allowed to leave until the end of the year. They are paid only at the end of the contract, once the cotton is sold, but most children report that they do not receive their full payment, and some are not paid at all. Children usually live with their employer, and do not receive sufficient food. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Benin | Child Labor | |
Bolivia | Forced Labor |
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