There are reports that mostly girls as young as 11 are forced to produce garments in Thailand. Migrant children from Laos and Burma are particularly vulnerable. The ILO, media, trade unions, government raids, and NGOs report forced child labor in garment factories in Bangkok and along the Burma border in Mae Sai and Mae Sot. Many children live at the worksite, and their freedom of movement is sometimes restricted through confiscation of identity documents and threats of arrest. Children are often forced to work long hours and overtime, and are paid little, if at all. Some are not provided sufficient food and are physically abused. Mistakes made during the course of work are sometimes penalized with wage deductions.

ILAB has reason to believe that fishmeal, fish oil, and animal feed produced in Thailand are produced with an input produced with forced labor, specifically fish produced in Thailand. Fish from Thailand produced with forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2012. Tens of thousands of migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are exploited in forced labor on marine fishing vessels in Thailand. These migrant workers are paid little or irregularly, work up to 20 hours per day, live without adequate food, water, medical supplies, experience physical abuse, and often have their identity documents retained by boat owners. Thailand-caught marine fish produced using forced labor is sorted and often mixed with imported marine fish that may or may not be caught using forced labor, tainting the Thai fish product supply chain. The catch is sold to fishmeal processors, where the fish is cleaned and squeezed or dried to produce fishmeal and fish oil. Fishmeal is primarily used to make animal feed for shrimp and poultry, and 25% of Thailand’s marine fish capture is used to manufacture fishmeal for animal feed. Reports indicate that the majority of animal feed produced in Thailand is consumed domestically by shrimp and poultry farms, though Thailand exported $2.4 billion of animal feed in 2022 to the United States, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, and Australia. Research suggests that further downstream products of fish, such as cosmetics, supplements, pet food, shrimp, and poultry may be produced with an input produced with forced labor.

ILAB has reason to believe that fishmeal, fish oil, and animal feed produced in Thailand are produced with an input produced with forced labor, specifically fish produced in Thailand. Fish from Thailand produced with forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2012. Tens of thousands of migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are exploited in forced labor on marine fishing vessels in Thailand. These migrant workers are paid little or irregularly, work up to 20 hours per day, live without adequate food, water, medical supplies, experience physical abuse, and often have their identity documents retained by boat owners. Thailand-caught marine fish produced using forced labor is sorted and often mixed with imported marine fish that may or may not be caught using forced labor, tainting the Thai fish product supply chain. The catch is sold to fishmeal processors, where the fish is cleaned and squeezed or dried to produce fishmeal and fish oil. Fishmeal is primarily used to make animal feed for shrimp and poultry, and 25% of Thailand’s marine fish capture is used to manufacture fishmeal for animal feed. Reports indicate that the majority of animal feed produced in Thailand is consumed domestically by shrimp and poultry farms, though Thailand exported $2.4 billion of animal feed in 2022 to the United States, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, and Australia. Research suggests that further downstream products of fish, such as cosmetics, supplements, pet food, shrimp, and poultry may be produced with an input produced with forced labor.

ILAB has reason to believe that fishmeal, fish oil, and animal feed produced in Thailand are produced with an input produced with forced labor, specifically fish produced in Thailand. Fish from Thailand produced with forced labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2012. Tens of thousands of migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are exploited in forced labor on marine fishing vessels in Thailand. These migrant workers are paid little or irregularly, work up to 20 hours per day, live without adequate food, water, medical supplies, experience physical abuse, and often have their identity documents retained by boat owners. Thailand-caught marine fish produced using forced labor is sorted and often mixed with imported marine fish that may or may not be caught using forced labor, tainting the Thai fish product supply chain. The catch is sold to fishmeal processors, where the fish is cleaned and squeezed or dried to produce fishmeal and fish oil. Fishmeal is primarily used to make animal feed for shrimp and poultry, and 25% of Thailand’s marine fish capture is used to manufacture fishmeal for animal feed. Reports indicate that the majority of animal feed produced in Thailand is consumed domestically by shrimp and poultry farms, though Thailand exported $2.4 billion of animal feed in 2022 to the United States, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, and Australia. Research suggests that further downstream products of fish, such as cosmetics, supplements, pet food, shrimp, and poultry may be produced with an input produced with forced labor.