Thursday, September 10, 2009

U.S. Labor Department issues reports on international child labor and forced labor


From Reuters:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) today released three
reports on child labor and/or forced labor in countries around the globe. The documents include the initial "List of Goods Produced
by Child or Forced Labor" required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA List).
"It is my strong hope that consumers, firms, governments, labor unions and other stakeholders will use this information to translate
their economic power into a force for good that ultimately will eliminate abusive child labor and forced labor," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.
The TVPRA List informs the public about 122 goods from 58 countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by forced
labor, child labor or both in violation of international standards. ILAB also has released a proposed update to the "List of Products Produced
by Forced or Indentured Child Labor" (EO List) pursuant to Executive Order 13126 of 1999. The list includes 29 products from 21 countries
and will be available for public comment beginning Sept. 11. In addition, ILAB has published its 8th annual "Findings on theWorst Forms of Child Labor" as mandated by the Trade and Development Act of 2000 on the efforts of 141 countries and territories to combat exploitive child labor.
The countries with products included on the TVPRA List span every region of the world. The most common items listed include cotton,
sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, rice and cocoa in agriculture; bricks, garments, carpets and footwear in manufacturing; and gold and coal in
mined and quarried goods.
The primary purpose of the TVPRA List is to raise public awareness about the incidence of child labor and forced labor in the production of
goods in the countries listed and to promote efforts to eliminate such practices. Today's release is an initial list that will be updated periodically.
The bureau's Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) prepared the three reports and collected data from U.S. embassies, foreign governments, international and nongovernmental organizations, technical assistance and field research projects, academic research and the media.
OCFT has funded more than $720 million in programs to help officials in more than 80 countries combat the worst forms of child labor. ILAB
conducts research on and formulates international economic, trade and labor policies in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, and provides international technical assistance in support of U.S. foreign-labor policy objectives.
Copies of the reports are available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab. For a printed version, contact the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Room S-5317, Washington, D.C. 20210; telephone 202-693-4843; fax 202-693-4830; e-mail GlobalKids@dol.gov.
U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made
available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance. 
SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor 
Clarisse Young of U.S. Department of Labor Office of Public Affairs, 
+1-202-693-5051 
For a copy of the report, please click here.

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