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

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.

Filters

Display
Country/Area Good Sort ascending Exploitation Type
Zimbabwe
  Tobacco

There are reports that children produce tobacco in Zimbabwe.  According to Human Rights Watch and local media reports, there are numerous cases of children working on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe’s northeastern provinces, including Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, and Manicaland.  There are reports of increasing numbers of children working on small, non-commercial farms.  In many cases, children drop out of school to work on tobacco farms.  Children perform hazardous forms of work, including mixing, handling, and spraying pesticides.  Children also experience adverse health effects related to exposure to nicotine, which enters their bodies through the skin during the handling of tobacco.

Child Labor
Congo, Democratic Republic of the (DRC)
  Tin Ore (cassiterite)

There are reports that children ages 5-17 are forced to work in the production of cassiterite, or tin ore, in some mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reports from NGOs and the U.S. Department of State indicate that many children have been identified working in conditions of forced labor in the mines in Eastern Congo, particularly in North and South Kivu. Some children are forced to work at the mines with their families in situations of bonded labor, while other children are sent away to the mines by their parents to pay off the family's debt. These children are paid little, if at all. In addition, many mines are controlled by military officers or armed groups, which are known to round up villagers, including children, at gunpoint and force them to work with threats of violence. These forcibly-recruited children do not have freedom of movement and do not receive payment for their work. 

French Translation

Child Labor, Forced Labor
Bolivia
  Tin
Child Labor
Indonesia
  Tin

There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 work in tin mining in Indonesia. Child labor in this sector is concentrated in the tin-producing islands of Bangka-Belitung province, in ASM. According to a 2014 ILO sectoral survey on child labor in informal tin mining, published in 2015, an estimated 6,300 children are engaged in child labor in tin mining. Children work at dangerous heights and in deep, slippery pits where there are high risks of landslides and injuries. Children’s tasks include operating pressurized-water machinery to separate tin from other materials, digging in the earth to find tin deposits, and panning for tin in bodies of water where children are exposed to extreme weather conditions and are at risk of drowning. 

Child Labor
Brazil
  Timber
Forced Labor
Cambodia
  Timber
Child Labor
Korea, North
  Timber
Forced Labor
Peru
  Timber
Forced Labor
Russia
  Timber

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

Forced Labor
Vietnam
  Timber

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 engage in the production of timber in Vietnam. The results of the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, published in 2014, show that an estimated 58,079 child laborers are involved in logging, including carrying and loading timber. Of the 58,079 child laborers involved in the production of timber, 6,428 children worked in timber production for more than 42 hours per week. Approximately 89 percent of child laborers working in this sector, were involved in work that could be considered hazardous according to national legislation. The survey considers a child to be engaged in child labor if the child is working an excessive number of hours per week for his or her age, or if the child is engaged in work that is prohibited for underage employees according to national legislation. 

Vietnamese Translation

Child Labor
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Public Comments & Submissions

ILAB accepts public submissions for the TVPRA List on an ongoing basis, and reviews them as they are received. Submissions will continue to be taken into account as ILAB works to release periodic updates to the List. To submit information, please send an email to ILAB-TVPRA@dol.gov; fax to 202-693-4830; or mail to ILAB, U.S. Department of Labor, c/o OCFT Research and Policy Unit, 200 Constitution Ave NW, S-5315, Washington, DC 20210. View the list of submissions.


The List in Numbers

The List in Numbers

What You Can Do

What Can You Do to Help Address Child Labor and Forced Labor?