List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 14 work in garment manufacturing in Mexico.  Based on an analysis of Mexico’s National Survey of Occupation and Employment – Child Labor Module 2017, an estimated 17,826 children work in garment production.  The survey indicates that the majority of children and adolescents working in garment manufacturing are in Puebla and Guanajuato states.  Other sources report that cases of child labor in garment manufacturing have been found in Puebla.  The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Mexico’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgment that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

Spanish Translation

There is evidence that migrant workers in Mauritius are exploited under forced labor conditions in the garment sector. Workers are charged unlawful recruitment fees, causing them to go into debt to repay recruiters. Workers are deceived about employment conditions, such as being told that employers would provide food and accommodation, only to find that fees for these were deducted from their wages and their passports were withheld. Some workers live in employers’ substandard accommodations which may be overcrowded, improperly ventilated, and include insect infestations. Reports indicate that workers may not be free to leave their workplace or accommodation and may be induced to work mandatory overtime. Employers have been known to intimidate or use deportation threats against workers who question their pay, make formal complaints, or speak with auditors about these conditions.

There are reports that children are forced to work cultivating rice in Mali, particularly along the Niger River and in the Segou region. According to a university study and the ILO, some children are trafficked in groups of 25 to 50, and an estimated 2,000 children have been forced to work in rice fields in Mali. Some children are known to be recruited from villages in other parts of Mali to cultivate rice in Niono. Boys are also trafficked from Burkina Faso to produce rice in Mali. Some boys ages 10-15 from Burkina Faso and Mali are sent to work in rice fields by their Koranic teachers at religious schools. Organized trafficking rings link the farmers with the teachers and the children. These boys receive no pay for their work; the farmers pay the teachers and the recruiters for the boys' labor. 

French Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple palm oil products produced in Malaysia are produced with an input derived from child labor and forced labor, specifically palm fruit produced in Malaysia. These palm oil products include crude palm oil, crude palm kernel oil, refined palm oil, refined palm kernel oil, cooking oil (palm oil blends), oleochemicals, and biofuel. Palm fruit from Malaysia was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 for forced labor and added in 2014 for child labor. Research from NGOs and media reports continue to show tens of thousands of children work in the palm fruit sector in Malaysia. Similar reporting shows forced labor indicators are widespread in palm fruit plantations, particularly among migrant workers who face vulnerabilities during and after recruitment. This research suggests that further worldwide downstream products of palm fruit and palm oil, such as animal feed, baked goods, beverages, household and industrial products, personal care products, cosmetic products, infant formula, and shortening, may be produced with an input produced with child labor and forced labor.