List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 are engaged in fishing and fish processing in Vietnam. Based on the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, the results of which were published in 2014, an estimated 49,390 child laborers work in fishing. Approximately 90 percent of children involved in child labor in fishing are boys. Of the 49,390 child laborers working in fishing, 19,629 children worked in fishing for more than 42 hours a week. In addition, 38,753 of the total number of child laborers working in fishing were involved in work that could be considered hazardous according to national legislation. The National Child Labor Survey also indicates that an estimated 15,720 child laborers are involved in the production, processing, and preservation of fish and fish products. Of the 15,270 child laborers involved in these activities, 11,591 children worked for more than 42 hours a week. In addition, 13,230 of the total number of child laborers working in the production, processing, and preservation of fish products, were involved in work that could be considered hazardous. 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

There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 in Vietnam produce leather. The results of the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, published in 2014, show that an estimated 1,426 child laborers work in the leather industry, primarily in the tanning and pre-processing stages and in dyeing animal skins. Approximately 74 percent of children involved in child labor in leather production are girls. Out of the estimated 1,426 child laborers who produce leather, about 580 are 12-14 years old and 846 are 15-17 years old. 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

There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 in Vietnam cultivate coffee. The results of the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, published in 2014, show that an estimated 34,131 child laborers grow coffee. Approximately 36.7 percent, or 12,526, of these child laborers are under 15 years old, which is the minimum age for employment in Vietnam. Of the estimated 34,131 child laborers who grow coffee, 9.2 percent are 5-11 years old, 27.5 percent are 12-14 years old, and 63.3 percent are 15-17 years old. 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

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 grow sugarcane in Vietnam. The results of the Government of Vietnam’s National Child Labor Survey 2012, published in 2014, show that an estimated 28,303 child laborers are involved in growing sugarcane. Approximately 32.6 percent, or 9,227 of these child laborers are under 15 years old, which is the minimum age for employment in Vietnam. Of the estimated 28,303 child laborers who grow sugarcane, 3.9 percent are 5-11 years old, 28.7 percent are 12-14 years old, and 67.4 percent are 15-17 years old. 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

There are reports of children ages 10-18 and some as young as 6 who work under conditions of forced labor producing garments in Vietnam. The most recently available information from government raids, NGOs and media reports indicates that groups of children are found in small privately-owned factories and informal workshops. These workplaces are located primarily in and around Ho Chi Minh City; however, many of these children have migrated, or have been trafficked, from the countryside and from central or northern provinces. Many of the children live in the factories; employers prevent the children from leaving through force and/or by withholding their wages. In some cases, employers pay the children only after a full year of work or at the completion of a multi-year contract. Employers refuse to pay the children who leave before the end of the contract; some withhold a portion of the wages dues under the contract in order to force the children to remain an additional year. The children are forced to work long hours, up to 18 hours per day, sometimes late into the night, and with few breaks. Reports indicate that these children are beaten or threatened with physical violence by their employers. In addition, there are reports of children as young as 12 years old found to be working while confined in government-run detention centers. These children are forced to sew garments under threat of physical or other punishments and without pay. 

Vietnamese Translation

There are reports that adults are forced to work in the mining of gold in Venezuela.  Research indicates that forced labor occurs throughout the Orinoco Mining Arc, a swath of land in Venezuela’s southern Bolivar state, where the majority of Venezuela’s gold is concentrated.  It is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 500,000 gold miners in Venezuela.  Mines are largely run by armed and violent criminal groups, and research shows evidence that officials from the Government of Venezuela, including members of security forces and local authorities, have colluded with and allowed members of non-state armed groups to commit human rights violations and labor abuses.  Miners experience unsafe working conditions, unsafe and degrading living conditions, extortion and financial penalties, limited freedom of communication, and threats of violence and torture.

Spanish Translation

There are reports that adults are forced to cultivate silk cocoons in Uzbekistan. A silk cocoon is the protective casing a silkworm spins around itself before metamorphosing into a moth. Silk cocoons can be processed and unwound to produce silk thread. Forced labor in cocoon production predominantly occurs among farmers in the south of the country, although evidence suggests that other rural families are also subjected to forced labor in this sector. Based on estimates from the Uzbek-German Forum, a majority of the over 45,000 farmers in Uzbekistan who produce silk cocoons each year do not have the freedom to refuse this work; they are compelled to perform it by government officials. Regional- and district-level officials assign each farmer a quota for the production of silk cocoons, and threaten farmers with fines, the loss of their leased farmland, or physical violence if they fail to meet the quota. Farmers are required to sell their silk cocoons back to the government at an official procurement price, which can be too low to offset the cost of cultivating the cocoons, and often experience underpayment, delayed payment, or receive no payment at all. Regional- and district-level governments also impose quotas on neighborhood councils called mahallas, which use their authority over distribution of social benefit payments to force neighborhood residents to cultivate silk cocoons. Because silkworms require constant attention and the maintenance of a carefully controlled environment in order to survive, farmers and rural families often cultivate cocoons in several rooms of their own homes and many work more than 20 hours a day during the approximately month-long cultivation period.

Uzbek Translation

There are reports that children as young as 7 engage in illegal amber extraction in Ukraine. Children from low-income families in the Polesia region of western Ukraine, including in Rivne, Volyn, and Zhytomyr Oblasts, are particularly vulnerable to involvement in amber extraction. For example, one human rights organization reports that thousands of school children extract amber, and that their labor is essential to the amber industry. According to media reports and local government officials, child labor is systemic in the illegal amber extraction industry and is a growing problem. The amber extraction process creates large pits and exposes children to risk of injuries when extraction pits collapse. Children engaged in illegal amber extraction are also at risk of violence at the mining site. 

Ukranian Translation