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Seeing an end to child labor
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The topic of child labor is sadly one of those that is always at the top of my list. However we have had some significant strides recently, especially regarding the release of the Department of Labor's (DOL) list of goods produced by forced labor and child labor! The long pending release was nothing less than overdue, and was in a great deal thanks to a large public outcry from organizations and citizens alike. Change.org's petition alone had over 6,000 supporters. We have wIn 2005, Congress mandated the DOL to compile a list of goods produced by forced labor or child labor. Its release will now enable consumers and shareholders to apply leverage to fight slavery worldwide. The analysis conducted by the DOL's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) The full report contains over 194 pages, which higlights the most commonly used consumer goods, containing large instances of forced and/or child labor. The products I have often brought to your attention in previous posts on child labor and fair trade products, such as cotton, sugarcane, coffee, and cocoa, as well as tobacco, and rice were on the list. The industries which most commonly found their way on the list unsurprisingly included; brick, garment, carpet, and footwear manufacturing. As well mined minerals such as gold and coal, as well as other quarried goods made the list. In brief summary of the report, some 122 goods in 58 countries are shown to be produced with a substantial rates of child labor, forced labor, or both. What may shock one more is that the level of child labor found used to manufacture the goods listed in the report, outweighed that of forced labor.
In addition to the list of goods produced by child or forced labor, ILAB released two additional reports: 1) the DOL's 2008 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor under the Trade and Development Act and 2) a proposed update to Executive Order 13126 which mandates that the DOL, in conjunction with the Departments of State and Homeland Security, publish a list of products which were produced or manufactured by forced or child labor to ensure that federal agencies enforce laws related to these types of labor.
This is indeed a major battle won for the anti-trafficking field and concerned citizens/consumers, however as we celebrate one victory we still have a long battle ahead to end child slavery. As the school year takes off with full flight here in the US, children across the globe are continuing to toil in various forms of child labor, like those in Uzbekistan who are heading back to the fields. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), published the following article earlier this week, The Hard Truth About Uzbek Cotton, reminding us that while progress is being made we have a long road ahead. Harkin is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a longtime leader in the fight to end abusive child labor around the globe. you can also see my previous posts; A Call for a Boycott on Child Picked Uzbek Cotton and Child Picked Cotton…Central Asia’s Child Labor, for more information. You can also sign the following petition to protest to the Uzbek government here!
The battle against the sugarcane plantations who feed off the backs of enslaved and impoverish Haitians, including children, continues. You can see more on the fight against one of the largest, Grupo Vicini, led by Father Christopher Hartley, who has continued to risk his life in pursuit of their freedom here. UNICEF estimates that some 2,000 children are trafficked each year to the Dominican Republic.
Don't let this opportunity to become a more empowered consumer and citizen, take this opportunity and information to not only become a more conscious shopper, but to also pressure companies to remove slave labor from their supply chains once and for all. For more information and to see previous posts on Child Labor, please click Here
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