List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

ILAB has reason to believe that cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Malawi 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. The remaining 10% of Malawi’s unmanufactured tobacco is used to manufacture tobacco products in Malawi, including cigarettes, primarily for domestic use.

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 cigarettes containing tobacco produced in Ukraine 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 reprisals. 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 2023, Ukraine imported $15.75 million in unmanufactured tobacco from Malawi, often for use in cigarette production.

Ukrainian Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products made in Côte d’Ivoire are produced with an input made with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Côte d’Ivoire. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire produced with child labor, forced labor, and forced child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Based on the most recently available estimate from NORC at the University of Chicago, the prevalence rate of child labor in cocoa production among cocoa growing households is 41%, meaning about 790,000 children work in child labor in cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire. These cocoa-growing households produce the vast majority Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa beans. Thus, products that rely heavily on cocoa beans originating from Côte d’Ivoire are at high risk of having an input produced with child labor. In 2022, the Netherlands imported 39% of its cocoa beans, 62% of its cocoa paste, 33% of its cocoa butter, and 31% of its cocoa powder from Côte d’Ivoire, using these inputs to produce cocoa and chocolate products. The availability of continued research demonstrates the Government of Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Côte d’Ivoire’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products made in Ghana are produced with an input made with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Ghana. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Ghana produced with child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Based on the most recently available estimate from NORC at the University of Chicago, the prevalence rate of child labor in cocoa production among cocoa growing households is 55%, meaning an estimated 765,754 children work in child labor in cocoa production in Ghana. These cocoa growing households produce the vast majority of Ghana’s cocoa beans. Thus, products that rely heavily on cocoa beans originating from Ghana are at risk of having an input produced with child labor. The availability of this research demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Ghana’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products produced in the Netherlands are produced with an input produced with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Ghana and Côte
d’Ivoire. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Ghana was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 for child labor. Cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009 for child labor, forced labor, and forced child labor. In 2022, the Netherlands imported 10.72% of its cocoa beans from Ghana and 39% from Côte d’Ivoire; 27.4% of its cocoa paste from Ghana and 62% from Côte d’Ivoire; 27.96% of its cocoa butter from Ghana and 33% from Côte d’Ivoire; and 29.47% of its cocoa powder from Ghana and 31% from Côte d’Ivoire, using these inputs to produce cocoa and chocolate products. The availability of this research demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s and Government of Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. The Netherlands has also undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at eradicating child labor from the cocoa sector. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Ghana’s and Côte d’Ivoire’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.