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 |
---|---|---|
Brazil | Child Labor | |
Brazil | Forced Labor | |
Brazil | There is evidence that children ages 5 to 13 raise sheep in Brazil. 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 Government of Brazil’s 2015 National Household Survey considers all work performed by children below age 14 to be child labor. Based on an analysis of the survey, an estimated 5,773 child laborers raise sheep. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Brazil’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 |
Burkina Faso | There are reports of children ages 10-17 producing cotton under conditions of forced labor in Burkina Faso. According to an NGO report containing the most recently available data on the eastern region of the country, it is estimated that as many as 50 percent of all boys aged 10 and above migrate or are trafficked to work for a year; most work on cotton farms in Tapoa or Kompienga. Children are also trafficked from around the country to work on cotton farms in Houet and Tuy provinces. Some children are forced to sow, weed, and harvest the cotton in hazardous conditions; some work under threats of abuse or withholding of payment. They usually live with their employer, and do not receive sufficient food. These children are lured by recruiters or traffickers with false promises of payment or gifts such as a bicycle. The children work on 12 or 17 month contracts and are prohibited from leaving to return home until the end of the contract. They are paid only when the cotton is sold and they have completed their contract, but most report that they do not receive their full payment, and some receive no payment at all. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Burkina Faso | There are reports that children are forced to mine gold in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. According to a report by the ILO containing the most recently available data, in the combined Sahel regions of Burkina Faso and Niger, up to 30-50 percent of the gold mine workforce is comprised of children; most are under the age of 15, and some work under conditions of forced labor. Some children from around the country are trafficked to mines in the country's Ioba, Oudalan, Passore, and Sissili provinces. These children work in small informal mines that are located in remote rural areas and mostly operate on a seasonal basis. The children, beginning between ages 12 and 14, are forced to work in hazardous conditions digging, breaking rocks, transporting, washing, and pounding the gold, including work underground in narrow shafts. These children receive little or no payment, with many receiving wage deductions for lodging and food expenses. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Burkina Faso | There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 work in granite quarries in Burkina Faso. These children are primarily found in granite quarries located in Pissy and Yagma, on the outskirts of the capital, Ouagadougou. According to Government of Burkina Faso officials, NGOs, and the U.S. Department of State, numerous incidents of child labor have been reported in these granite quarries, including hundreds of children working in the Pissy quarry, and NGOs report that the problem is increasing. Children work for long hours breaking large rocks by hand and carrying heavy loads of dirt, rock, and gravel. Children in granite quarries are at high risk of physical injury, and are exposed to large quantities of dust and smoke, which can cause respiratory diseases. Some children also experience physical abuse in the quarries. |
Child Labor |
Burma | Forced Labor | |
Burma | There are reports that children ages 12 to 17, mainly girls, produce garments in Burma. According to international organizations and NGOs, child labor in the garment industry is concentrated in Yangon State. For example, research has found at least eight garment factories in Yangon State with incidents of child labor, and reports indicate that child labor remains present in the industry. Though the government has placed legal restrictions on working hours and types of work for children under age 18, there are reports that children work the same hours as adults with higher risks of abuse. There are reports of supervisors or shift leaders physically punishing children if they make mistakes in their work. Some children carry heavy bags and boxes and work long hours, sometimes up to 15-16 hours per day or 60 hours per week, and late into the night. Factories are often poorly ventilated, with temperatures, at times, rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. |
Child Labor |
Burma | There are reports that children as young as age nine are forced to work in the production of rubber in Burma. According to reports by NGOs, villagers, including children, are forced to work cultivating rubber plants in nurseries and on plantations for the military camps. Local officials and the military enforce the work orders. The forced child laborers are not paid for their work, and endure physical violence or other punishment if they refuse to work. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
Burma | There are reports that children as young as age 10 are forced to work in the production of bamboo in Burma. According to the ILO and NGOs, forced child labor is pervasive, particularly in Karen, Shan, and Arakan States near military camps, with children constituting up to 40 percent of forced laborers being used for a variety of activities, including the production of bamboo. Some of these children are sent by their families to fulfill a mandate imposed by the military that requires each household in a village to undertake specified forced labor activities. Villagers, including children, are forced by local officials and the military to work cutting bamboo for the military camps. The forced child laborers are not paid for their work, and face physical violence or other punishment if they refuse to work. |
Child Labor, Forced Labor |
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