Range of goods wide, list of countries long
NEW YORK (TrustLaw) - Goods produced around the world involving child labor or forced labor are listed in the 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking.
Although child labor is prevalent in most of the categories, many goods are the result of both child labor and forced labor carried out by adults, who often are women. Following are just some examples of where both child labor and forced labor by adults are present in the production of certain goods, as listed in the report:
* Garments: Argentina and Thailand
* Diamonds: Angola and Sierra Leone
* Brazil nuts/chestnuts: Bolivia
* Gold: Burkina Faso and Peru
* Cotton: Benin, Burkina Faso, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
* Bamboo: Burma
* Jade and rubies: Burma
* Electronics, fireworks, toys: China
* Embroidered textiles (zari): India, Nepal
* Carpets: Pakistan, India and Nepal
* Pornography: Russia
* United States: While the U.S. is not on the report’s list, a lengthy section of the report details the situation regarding child and forced labor in the country. For example, the report states that in June 2011 the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) fined three strawberry farmers a total of $73,000 for violating child labor laws by employing child pickers as young as 6 years old.
For related story on how a new California law targets slavery risks in business supply chains, see here.
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