List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

There are reports that children are forced to engage in pornography in Russia. According to reports from NGOs, tens of thousands of children were exploited in the production of pornography, and evidence suggests that many of them were forced to do so. The production of child pornography is concentrated in big cities, particularly in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Street children in both cities are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in this industry. Some children are trafficked internally and from the former Soviet republics to engage in pornography in Russia. These children are often subject to various forms of physical abuse while they are exploited in this form of forced labor.

Russian Translation

There are reports that adults are forced to produce bricks in Russia. Both men and women are exploited for forced labor in informal brick factories in the Northern Caucasus region of Dagestan; however, victims are primarily male job-seekers recruited in Moscow. According to a local NGO and media reports, hundreds of individuals have been subjected to forced labor in brick factories. Recruiters in Moscow frequently drug and abduct victims who are then sold to brick factory owners in Dagestan. Other victims are recruited through deception regarding the location of work and the anticipated wages. Victims and a local NGO report that factories frequently withhold all wages, sometimes confiscate workers’ passports and cellphones, and sometimes use physical violence, especially when workers try to leave. 

Russian Translation

There are reports that adults are forced to produce timber in Russia. Adults from North Korea are sent to Russia to produce timber by the North Korean government. According to media reports, approximately 2,000 North Koreans produce timber in Russia. A South Korean NGO reports that North Korean workers in the forestry sector work from 12 to 18 hours a day under growing debts incurred to pay bribes during the selection process. Many workers in the sector are isolated in remote, prison-like logging camps in the far east of the country. An NGO reports that workers are forced to remit 80 percent of their wages to the North Korean government in addition to paying for room and board, and are allowed to keep only $30 to $50 per month, far below the minimum wage. In compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2397, Russia announced its intention in 2017 to cease issuing or renewing work visas for North Korean workers. 

Russian Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Russia are made with an input produced with child labor and forced labor, specifically tobacco from Malawi. Tobacco from Malawi produced with child labor and forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 and added to ILAB’s List of Products Produced with Forced or Indentured Child Labor that same year for forced child labor. Thousands of children and adults work on tobacco farms in Malawi, with many hired through deceptive recruitment practices and working in debt bondage, and many facing withholding of wages and the inability to leave employment due to threats of reprisal. Tobacco from different sources is often mixed at the point of sale and at leaf buying facilities. Ninety percent of Malawi’s tobacco is exported abroad. In 2021, Russia imported $73 million in unmanufactured tobacco from Malawi, often for use in cigarette production.

Russian Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that coconut oil and copra meal produced in the Philippines are produced with an input produced with child labor, specifically coconuts produced in the Philippines. Coconut from the Philippines produced with child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. The Philippines is a leading global exporter of coconut oil and copra meal. In 2021, the Philippines exported $1.8 billion of coconut oil, representing 46.4% of total global exports. In 2021, the Philippines exported $92 million of copra meal, representing 53.5% of total global exports. This research suggests that further downstream products of coconut, such as animal feed, household and industrial items, bakery items, personal care and cosmetic products, may be produced with an input produced with child labor.