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 159 goods from 78 countries and areas, as of September 28, 2022.
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.
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.
Country/Area Sort descending | Good | Exploitation Type |
---|---|---|
Côte d'Ivoire | There are reports that children from within Côte d'Ivoire, as well as migrant children from Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, and Togo, are working under conditions of forced labor on Ivoirian cocoa farms. Based on the most recently available estimate from Tulane University, over 4,000 children work in conditions of forced labor in the production of cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire. Some children are sold by their parents to traffickers, some are kidnapped, and others migrate willingly but fall victim to traffickers who sell them to recruiters or farmers, where they end up in conditions of bonded labor. Some farmers buy the children and refuse to let them leave the farm until the debt of their purchase has been worked off. The children are frequently not paid for their work; some of their wages are paid to the recruiter or trafficker. These children are held against their will on isolated farms, are locked in their living quarters at night, and are threatened and beaten if they attempt to escape. They are punished by their employers with physical abuse. They are forced to work long hours, including overtime, and are required to work even when they are sick. Some children are denied sufficient food by their traffickers and employers. Some children are forced to perform dangerous tasks, including carrying heavy loads, using machetes and sharp tools, and applying pesticides and fertilizers. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Dominican Republic | Child Labor | |
Dominican Republic | Child Labor | |
Dominican Republic | Child Labor | |
Dominican Republic | There are reports that adults are forced to work in the harvesting and production of sugarcane in the Dominican Republic. These adults, the majority of whom are undocumented or stateless, are predominantly of Haitian origin or descent. Reports from civil society organizations, news media, worker interviews, field research, and other sources indicate the existence of the following forced labor indicators in the sugarcane sector: withholding of wages, abusive working and living conditions, excessive overtime, isolation and restriction of movement, and deceptive recruitment practices. For some workers, a precarious legal status and lack of identity documents limit their movement and have led to isolation and fears of reprisal, denouncement to authorities, loss of company-provided housing and deportation for complaining about unlawful labor conditions. In addition, illiteracy, low levels of education, and language barriers can impede their understanding and exercising of labor rights, thus increasing their vulnerability to labor exploitation. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Dominican Republic | Child Labor | |
Ecuador | Child Labor | |
Ecuador | There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 work in the production of rice in Ecuador. Based on the analysis of Ecuador’s 2019 National Survey of Employment, Unemployment, and Underemployment, an estimated 5,896 children under the minimum age for work are involved in child labor in rice production. The ILO has found that generally, children who work in agriculture may be at risk of exposure to hazards including working long hours, carrying heavy loads, using dangerous tools, exposure to the elements, physical injuries, and chemicals, such as pesticides. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Ecuador’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. |
Child Labor |
Ecuador | Child Labor | |
Ecuador | There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 work in bovine raising in Ecuador. Based on the analysis of Ecuador’s 2019 National Survey of Employment, Unemployment, and Underemployment, an estimated 10,564 children under the minimum age for work are involved in child labor in bovine raising. The ILO has found that generally, children who care for farm animals may be at risk of exposure to potential health consequences, including injuries from kicks and infections from animal bites and exposure to harmful bacteria. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Ecuador’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. |
Child Labor |
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