Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor

"The Department of Labor's annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor focuses on the efforts of certain U.S. trade beneficiary countries and territories to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement mechanisms, policies and social programs. Read More ››

Download the 2022 Magazine 
Download the full 2022 Report

The Report presents:

• Findings on the prevalence and sectoral distribution of the worst forms of child labor in each country.
• Country-specific suggestions for government action (since 2009).
• Individual country assessments that identify where Significant, Moderate, Minimal, or No Advancement has been made (since 2011).

The Report serves as a resource to foreign governments, NGOs, academics and policymakers working on labor and human rights issues. It helps inform Congress and Executive Branch agencies that formulate labor and trade policy and is an important resource for the Department in assessing future technical assistance and research priorities as it seeks to combat child labor around the world.

The Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has published the Findings each year since 2002, as mandated by the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (TDA). The TDA requires that countries fulfill commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor to be eligible for certain U.S. trade preference programs. It also requires the U.S. Secretary of Labor to issue annual findings on beneficiary country initiatives to implement these commitments..."
Child Labor 

A Deep Dive into the Labor Exploitation Behind Everyday Products

"Before products like cell phones or baby formula show up on store shelves, countless workers are engaged in their production. Far from the eyes of inspectors and shoppers, too many children and adults toil in exploitation harvesting crops, extracting minerals, and assembling parts into final products. Today, there are an estimated 160 million child laborers and nearly 28 million people in forced labor, the majority of whom work at the bottom of global supply chains, invisible to the outside world.

The U.S. Department of Labor is amplifying the voices of these workers to ensure companies are held accountable for exploitative labor conditions throughout their supply chains.

The department’s flagship reports and resources contain the most rigorous examination yet of child labor and forced labor. Our reporting shows how the behaviors and decisions of businesses, consumers and governments affect horrific conditions of labor abuse and exploitation around the world. Leveraging an expanded mandate, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor not only raises awareness of goods produced directly with child labor or forced labor but also draws attention to goods produced with inputs made by child labor or forced labor. For example:

• Our research shows that lithium-ion batteries made in China – batteries that power electric vehicles – are often produced with cobalt mined by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

• We’re exposing how dozens of consumer products that contain palm oil may be at risk, as palm fruit is often produced by forced and child labor in Southeast Asia.

• We’re calling attention to the solar supply chain in China, and how Chinese-produced solar panels are often made with polysilicon produced with forced labor in Xinjiang.

Our cutting-edge approach to tracing labor exploitation in these supply chains, brought to life through our new "Exposing Exploitation in Global Supply Chains" series, helps us shine a light on abuses we might not otherwise see if we looked at finished products alone.

This work is just the beginning – we’ll be expanding our supply chain research and enforcement support in the coming year. ILAB is also funding projects to pilot new ways of tracing complex global supply chains and investing in efforts to lift up the voices of workers whose labor powers these global goods. We demand that other governments and companies join us to end labor exploitation and stand up for workers’ rights..."
Child labor 

International Child Labor & Forced Labor Reports

"LAB publishes three reports on international child labor and forced labor that serve as valuable resources for research, advocacy, government action and corporate responsibility. These reports are The Department of Labor's Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor; the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor; and the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. Each of these reports has a distinct mandate, focus and set of implications, but taken collectively, they document the current situation of child labor, forced labor and forced child labor around the world..."
Forced labor reports 

Trafficking in Persons: 2020

"LOOKING BACK ON TWENTY YEARS OF THE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT
 
 This year marks a major milestone—the 20th anniversary of the TIP Report. Twenty years ago, when the United States Congress passed the TVPA mandating this report, it signaled the U.S. government’s resolve to fight human trafficking and marked a pivot from indignation to positive action. Whether used to raise awareness, spark dialogue, spur action, or create a system of accountability, the TIP Report has served to reinforce global anti-trafficking norms and ideals. At a time when many governments denied the existence of human trafficking in all its forms, the TIP Report became a standard-bearer for the principles enshrined in the TVPA and the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol (Palermo Protocol).

Throughout the last two decades, and as the availability of information on human trafficking has expanded, the TIP Report has grown in both its breadth and depth of analysis. It has consistently documented the efforts of an increasing number of governments to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent human trafficking crimes. The report has drawn attention to trends and emerging issues, highlighted promising practices, and tracked the progression of important developments, such as the passage of comprehensive anti-trafficking laws and improvements in victim identification efforts..."
Trafficking

Combating Child Labor in the Age of COVID-19

"The world’s crises are often acutely felt by the world’s children and the global COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Not only are children at risk of contracting the virus, but millions face an increased risk of being exploited for their labor, joining the 152 million children already engaged in child labor worldwide.

The risk to children is greater for a whole host of reasons, such as job loss or illness within their families, school closures, and decreased food security. These factors make it harder to keep children out of the workplace and in school where they belong.

Thankfully, there are organizations and individuals around the world who are helping.

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is playing a role in combating child labor through our programming and policy work. As the world’s largest funder of programs to combat child labor around the globe, ILAB is in a position to make a real difference. In Mexico, for example, the World Vision-implemented Campos de Esperanza project is using leaflets, posters, and radio broadcasts to get the word out about the risks of COVID-19 to children and families working on sugar and coffee farms in remote communities, who in many cases lack access to basic news and information. In Colombia and Paraguay, Partners of the Americas is using text messaging and radio public service announcements to share information on identifying COVID-19 symptoms, and what to do if these symptoms are identified among workers..."
Child labor

Findings on the Worst Form of Child Labor(2015)

"The Department of Labor's annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor focuses on the efforts of certain U.S. trade beneficiary countries and territories to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement mechanisms, policies and social programs. Read More

The Report presents:

• Findings on the prevalence and sectoral distribution of the worst forms of child labor in each country.
• Country-specific suggestions for government action (since 2009).
• Individual country assessments that identify where Significant, Moderate, Minimal, or No Advancement has been made (since 2011).

The Report serves as a resource to foreign governments, NGOs, academics and policymakers working on labor and human rights issues. It helps inform Congress and Executive Branch agencies that formulate labor and trade policy and is an important resource for the Department in assessing future technical assistance and research priorities as it seeks to combat child labor around the world..."
Child labor

Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor

"The Department of Labor's annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor focuses on the efforts of certain U.S. trade beneficiary countries and territories to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement mechanisms, policies and social programs..."
Child labor

Products made by forced or indentured child labor

"The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a revised "List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor," adding six new products from five countries. Federal contractors supplying products on the list must certify the goods were not produced by forced or indentured child labor in accordance with Executive Order 13126..."
Products made by forced labor

US Department of Labor announces stiffer penalties for illegal employment of children
"The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the implementation of tougher penalties against employers that illegally employ child workers.
"Protecting our youngest workers is one of this department's top priorities. Beginning today, employers who hire children too young to work will face stiffer penalties," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Work is not child's play. When children do work, that work must be age appropriate, safe and positive, and, it must not interfere with their schooling."

Under the Labor Department's new, tougher penalty structure, employers who illegally employ individuals ages 12 or 13 will face a penalty of at least $6,000 per violation. If a worker is under 12 years of age and illegally employed, the penalty will be at least $8,000. Penalties for illegally employing workers under age 14 could be raised to $11,000 under certain conditions.

"These increased fines, coupled with important recent revisions to the child labor rules and reinvigorated enforcement by the Wage and Hour Division, will help ensure the safety of children," added Secretary Solis.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act establishes rules governing child labor. Key provisions prohibit the employment of individuals under age 18 in hazardous nonagricultural occupations. Individuals under age 16 may work only limited hours outside of school hours. Additionally, 14- and 15-year-olds may not work before 7 a.m. or later than 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). There are additional restrictions on the types of jobs and hours 14- and 15-year-olds may work..."

U.S. Labor Department issues reports on international child labor and forced labor
"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 the Worst 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...
Full report

A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons
"Governments across the globe are grappling with a worldwide recession and its impact on their workers, their families, and their communities. As we confront these challenges, it is useful to track how key labor market and other national economic measurements compare, so as to gauge trends and to provide government officials and citizens worldwide the opportunity to learn from each other.

This Chartbook is a gateway to explore the wealth of data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Division of International Labor Comparisons and the international labor policy and research programs maintained by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)..."