Many of the workers on palm oil plantations are internal migrants within Indonesia, some of whom had to pay high recruitment fees leading to debt. Injuries from animals include being bitten, butted, jostled, stamped on, gored, or trampled. Families take an advance payment from recruiters and then are forced to work to pay off the debt. Withhold Release Orders and Findings List, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, Importing Freedom: Using the U.S. There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 17 are involved in cattle raising in Mexico. The results of the Government of Vietnams National Child Labor Survey 2012, published in 2014, show that an estimated 58,079 child laborers are involved in logging, including carrying and loading timber. In addition, according to the ILO, academics, NGOs, local government officials, and the U.S. Department of State, numerous incidents of child labor have been reported in sand production across the country. More broadly, according to varied estimates, at least 100,000 to hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities are being subjected to forced labor in China following detention in re-education camps. [CDATA[/* >*/. Forced labor often occurs on fishing vessels operating in Indonesian territorial waters, especially around the remote island ports of Benjina and Ambon. These children are held against their will on isolated farms, are locked in their living quarters at night, and are threatened and beaten if they attempt to escape. The children are forced to work under extreme, sometimes fatal, conditions. The survey estimates that 199,333 child laborers raise hogs throughout Paraguay. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. Cobalt is used in the production of nearly all lithium-ion batteries. There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 14 work in garment manufacturing in Mexico. Hard work and long hours arent rewarded with reciprocal pay. An analysis of the Pakistan Labour Force Survey 20172018 considers all work performed by children under age 14 to be child labor. To submit information, please send an email toILAB-TVPRA@dol.gov; fax to 202-693-4830; or mail to ILAB, U.S. Department of Labor, c/o OCFT Research and Policy Unit, 200 Constitution AveNW, S-5315, Washington, DC 20210. There are reports that children from Bolivia are forced to produce garments in informal workshops in the city of Buenos Aires and its surrounding municipalities. In the manufacturing sector, bricks, garments, textiles, footwear, carpets, and fireworks appear most frequently. According to international standards on the minimum age for work, children working below the age of 15 are engaged in child labor. Migrant workers and individuals from scheduled castes, a socially disadvantaged group in India, are especially vulnerable to forced labor in sandstone quarries. Local officials and the military enforce these work orders; the children cannot refuse to work, even if sick. Some analysts said the move on Thursday could be a prelude to further . A stack of assignments is on your desk, so you prepare yourself for a long day. The children are not paid for their work, and they face physical abuse and other punishments for refusing to work or for producing work that is considered of unacceptable quality. What makes this industry so viable is the growth it feeds to the economy. "After finding the report, we immediately conducted a fact-finding investigation, but did not find evidence that those suppliers were involved in the forced labor. The forced labor programs are described as student apprenticeships; however, the children report that they were forced to remain on the job and not allowed to return home. There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 are engaged in fishing in Paraguay. Evidence of child labor has been found in Batouri and Kambele, near the border with the Central African Republic. 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. OCFT combats child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking by: In compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2397, Russia announced its intention in 2017 to cease issuing or renewing work visas for North Korean workers. The shoemaker was also among the companies suspected of using forced labor in the 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report. There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 grow melons in Paraguay. Ralph Lauren did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Based on an analysis of the survey, an estimated 5,896 child laborers raise hogs. In a report issued in March, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, listed Nike and Coca-Cola as companies suspected of ties to forced labor in. According to the survey, almost 13 percent of Paraguayan children engaged in child labor in agriculture do not attend school. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Paraguays commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. In addition, some children of artisanal, independent, small-scale diamond miners work with their families as indentured servants, in debt to diamond dealers. These children are paid little, if at all. There is evidence that children ages 5 to17 produce furniture in Vietnam. .dol-alert-status-error .alert-status-container {display:inline;font-size:1.4em;color:#e31c3d;} .table thead th {background-color:#f1f1f1;color:#222;} Some children are penalized by their employers with verbal or physical abuse. Some child laborers in this sector use hazardous chemicals, machinery, and materials. The report said five of the companies on Amazon's 2021 supplier list had publicly known links to forced-labor programs called "labor transfers," which have forcibly moved Uyghurs to other parts of China. In addition, many mines are controlled by military officers or armed groups, which are known to round up villagers, including children, at gunpoint and force them to work with threats of violence. Reports from the U.S. Department of State and NGOs state that many children have been identified working in conditions of forced labor in the mines in Eastern Congo, particularly in North and South Kivu. 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. As stated in our Business Conduct Guidelines, we reject all forms of oppression, forced labor and participation in human rights violations. Laborers can work 10 to 12 hours per day, seven days a week, with little to no break. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. Reports indicate that children frequently die while working, having been forced to work under extreme conditions. Based on the Government of Vietnams National Child Labor Survey 2012, the results of which were published in 2014, an estimated 9,756 child laborers work in footwear manufacturing for over 42 hours per week. #block-googletagmanagerheader .field { padding-bottom:0 !important; } Villagers, including children, are forced by local officials and the military to work cutting bamboo for the military camps. The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report also identified Tommy Hilfiger among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China. The children are forced to perform dangerous tasks, such as using sharp tools, carrying heavy loads, and handling pesticides, without protective equipment. Opium from the poppy plant is a highly addictive narcotic that is used in the production of illegal drugs, such as heroin. According to media reports, NGOs, Government of Mexico reports, and the U.S. Department of State, child labor has been reported in remote areas of Guerrero, including in the mountainous regions of La Montaa and La Sierra where most of the poppy fields are located. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. These companies have also been suspected of having direct or indirect ties to Chinese forced labor in the aforementioned reports. A South Korean NGO reports that North Korean workers in the forestry sector work from 12 to 18 hours a day under growing debts incurred to pay bribes during the selection process. Families receive an advance payment and become bonded for generations to pay off the debt. An agency within the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution AveNW Theyre willing to do the work no one else will and, because of that, companies can more easily take advantage of them. The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Costco among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang. There is evidence that children under 14 work in the production of textiles in Pakistan. There are reports that children ages 12 to 17, mainly girls, produce garments 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. Often fishermen are locked in cells to prevent their escape. In addition to this, poor workers in rural areas may also experience coercion without detention. There is evidence that children ages 5 to 17 raise sheep in Paraguay. In many cases, quarry owners give workers advances and loans to pay for growing household and medical expenses related to silicosis. Children are often forced to sleep outside and are denied food. Even amidst the horrific crimes of trafficking, there is still some good to be found within industrial environments. 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. Children engaged in illegal amber extraction are also at risk of violence at the mining site. When people desperately need work, it isnt uncommon for them to take any open opportunities coming their way. BYD is an industry leader in corporate responsibility and enforces rigorous oversight of its entire supply chain. In addition, sources indicate that workers are not provided access to adequate housing, basic healthcare, and water. These children are forced to work excessive hours and to sleep in the bush near the pits. While on board the vessels, workers identity documents are often confiscated, the crew spends months at sea without stopping at a port of call, and they are forced to work 18 to 22 hours a day with little rest. Some are not provided sufficient food and are physically abused. The Government of Brazils 2015 National Household Survey considers all work performed by children below age 14 to be child labor. Due to the long hours worked, many child workers in this sector are unable to attend school. Employers threaten to withhold food from the workers, including children. There are reports that children ages 7 to 17 harvest potatoes in Lebanon. The ILO has found that generally children who work in agriculture may be at risk of exposure to hazards including, working long hours, carrying heavy loads, using dangerous tools, and exposure to the elements, physical injuries, and chemicals, such as pesticides. Because the debts are sometimes inherited, many children are born into the bonded labor. ", "BYD is a clean transportation and renewable energy company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA and Shenzhen, China. ", Alstom/Bombardier (Alstom acquired Bombardier in 2021. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Brazils commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. According to an ILO study, over 1,000 families work in bonded labor in rice mills in one district of Tamil Nadu. In some cases, employers pay the children only after a full year of work or at the completion of a multi-year contract. There are reports that children ages 5 to 17 work in granite quarries in Burkina Faso. According to the survey, almost 13 percent of Paraguayan children engaged in child labor in agriculture do not attend school. The amber extraction process creates large pits and exposes children to risk of injuries when extraction pits collapse. In 2021, Reuters reported that a Microsoft supplier arranged for the transfer of at least 400 Uyghur workers to its plant, in what human-rights groups have called a forced-labor arrangement. "Following the publication of the ASPI report, Alstom and ex-Bombardier Transportation (BT) have undertaken a review of potential forced labour issues in the KTK Group factories supplying Alstom and ex-BT. VanderKlippe, Nathan. There are reports that children ages 10 to 17 mine or harvest sand in Kenya. CBP Issues Region-Wide Withhold Release Order on Products Made by Slave Labor in Xinjiang, CBP Issues Withhold Release Order on Seafood Harvested with Forced Labor by Lien Yi Hsing No. Approximately 26.4 percent, or 675, of the total number of child laborers who grow tobacco are 5-11 years old, while 73.6 percent, or 1,880, are 15-17 years old. It is not too late to be a part of the impact! Based on an analysis of the Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2017 2018, an estimated 45,699 children are involved in child labor in the production of textiles. The survey estimates that 123,259 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous child labor in El Salvador, including using dangerous tools, carrying heavy loads, working with chemicals, working long or night shifts, and being exposed to dust, smoke, or extreme heat or humidity. The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Tommy Hilfiger among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang. CBP is responsible for preventing the entry of products made with forced labor into the U.S. market by investigating and acting upon allegations of forced labor in supply chains. There is evidence that children under the age of 14 raise bovines in Pakistan. Active 10. Sources estimate that 5,000 children in Aweday are connected to the industry, approximately 2,000 of whom are under age 15. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. The company's main customer is Nike more than seven million pairs are produced at the factory annually. . Factories are often poorly ventilated, with temperatures, at times, rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine pulling up to your job, thinking it will be another normal day at work. What Clothing Companies Use Forced Labor? An NGO study revealed that hundreds of children had been trafficked from Zou province in Benin to work in gravel production; other reports have found that hundreds of children have been rescued from this forced labor and returned to other areas in Benin. Some children are abducted and trafficked from within Nigeria and from Benin to work in granite quarries and mines in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the states of Ebonyi, Enugu, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun. Polysilicon was added to ILABs List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2021 for forced labor. The indicators listed below were developed by the International Labour Organization. The survey indicates that child labor also occurs in the cultivation of other varieties of beans, including habilla, poroto manteca, and feijao, and that more boys than girls are engaged in child labor producing beans. @media (max-width: 992px){.usa-js-mobile-nav--active, .usa-mobile_nav-active {overflow: auto!important;}} Additionally, laborers work under the threat of penalties, which include the withholding of wages, restricted movement, and the withholding of their identification documents. There are reports that children as young as 7 engage in illegal amber extraction in Ukraine. Based on the Government of Vietnams National Child Labor Survey 2012, the results of which were published in 2014, an estimated 6,049 child laborers work in textile production, mainly in the fabrication and finishing stages of the process. Our global compliance programs and auditors cover every country where a factory makes L.L.Bean-branded product, including China, to ensure that code is upheld. Some bonded children are forced to work 12 hours a day, and receive little, if any, payment after wage deductions to repay the family debt. Based on an analysis of Pakistans Labor Force Survey 20172018, an estimated 23,521 children perform tasks related to the creation of electronic goods. Many children incur injuries on the job, including skin infections and cuts from sharp cane leaves or knives. Data from the 2016 ENAHO, which included a child labor module, is expected to be released in early 2017. Some of these children are bonded to their employer, forced to work to pay off the debt of advanced payments made to their parents. Victims are from provinces across China; some children are abducted or trafficked through coercion and sold to work in brick kilns. 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. Active 9. "We oppose all forms of human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labor, and all other trafficking-related activities and uphold this commitment by taking action through ourResponsible Supply Chain program. Sources report that cases of forced labor occur on both commercial tomato plantations and smallholder farms, and have been found in states such as Baja California, Coahuila, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, and Sinaloa. Alstom: "Following the publication of the ASPI report, Alstom and ex-Bombardier Transportation (BT) have undertaken a review of potential forced labour issues in the KTK Group factories supplying Alstom and ex-BT. One research study found approximately 1,000 children working in gold mines in central Uganda. Based on an analysis of the survey, it is estimated that 15,404 child laborers produce baked goods. Based on an analysis of the survey, an estimated 2,936 child laborers cultivate bananas. Some work long hours including overtime and do not receive payment for their work. In addition, children are exposed to loud noises, dust, long hours in extreme heat, and injury from flying stone fragments. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. Recruiters in Moscow frequently drug and abduct victims who are then sold to brick factory owners in Dagestan. 1307) through issuance of Withhold Release Orders (WRO) and findings to prevent merchandise produced in whole or in part in a foreign country using forced labor from being imported into the United States. There are reports that adults, predominantly men, are forced to work in the fishing industry in Indonesia. The survey estimates that 301,827 children ages 5 to 17 perform hazardous work in rural areas of Paraguay and indicates that children working in agriculture experience accidents and illnesses, including from using dangerous tools and handling chemicals. Many workers in the sector are isolated in remote, prison-like logging camps in the far east of the country. Some men have been forced to fish for 20 to 22 hours a day, with little or no pay, and have been subjected to threats and severe physical abuse while at sea. In 2016, the Government of Paraguay published representative results from the Survey of Activities of Rural Area Children and Adolescents 2015. But what if your boss replied, You cant quit What if your boss said that the company owns you and has authority over whether you get to leave? METHODOLOGY MSCI ESG Research's main sources of information for the names of companies involved in forced or slave labor were the International Tracing Service's Catalogue of Camps and Prisons in Germany and German-Occupied Territories, Sept. 1, 1939-May 8, 1945, compiled The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of El Salvadors commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs. Many children are trafficked into garment production, recruited under deceptive terms, moved between employers without consent, and paid little or nothing for their work. There are reports of children ages 10-17 producing cotton under conditions of forced labor in Burkina Faso. Uniqlo is a fast-fashion brand that used child labor in the past. Former Campbell subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region previously sourced a small amount of ingredients from Xinjiang. The survey considers a working child to be engaged in child labor if the child is below the minimum age for employment of 14 or the child is performing work that is hazardous according to national legislation. Wrong. The child workers are mainly recruited from Sarlahi, Mohattari, and Dhanusha Districts. Approximately 40,675 of these children in hazardous child labor are engaged in the production of cereal grains. How Companies Profit From Forced Labor in Xinjiang. 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. Based on a research report, close to 7,500 children are working under forced labor conditions in the sector. Aa berry picking is considered to be a highly dangerous job in Brazil, requiring those involved in its harvest to climb great heights, sometimes up to 65 feet.