Approaches to Reducing the Use of Forced or Child Labor Summary of a Workshop on Assessing Practice (2009) / Chapter Skim
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1 INTRODUCTION
1 INTRODUCTION
Pages 1-8
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According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) , "In 2004 there were 218 million children trapped in child labour, of whom 126 million were in hazardous work."1 More recently, but employing a different definition, UNICEF estimated that "there are 158 million children under the age of 15 who are trapped in child labour around the world."2 Most child labor occurs in agriculture (69 percent)
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This definition will not apply to work specifically authorized by national laws, including work done by children in schools for general, vocational or technical education or in other training institutions, where such work is carried out in accordance with international standards under conditions prescribed by the competent authority, and does not prejudice children's attendance in school or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received." Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary. Notice of Procedural Guidelines for the Development and Maintenance of the List of Goods From Countries Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor; Request for Information.
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by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process. For purposes of this definition, forced labor does not include work specifically authorized by national laws where such work is carried out in accordance with conditions prescribed by the competent authority, including: any work or service required by compulsory military service laws for work of a purely military character; work or service which forms part of the normal civic obligations of the citizens of a fully self-governing country; work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law, provided that the said work or service is carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority and that the said person is not hired to or placed at the disposal of private individuals, companies or associations; work or service required in cases of emergency, such as in the event of war or of a calamity or threatened calamity, fire, flood, famine, earthquake, violent epidemic or epizootic diseases, invasion by animal, insect or vegetable pests, and in general any circumstance that would endanger the existence or the well-being of the whole or part of the population; and minor communal services of a kind which, being performed by the members of the community in the direct interest of the said community, can therefore be considered as normal civic obligations incumbent upon the members of the community, provided that the members of the community or their direct representatives have the right to be consulted in regard to the need for such services." Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary.
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This may be an extension of the first issue, given that the goods widely produced under forced and child labour conditions in the small garment and other factories in the developing countries can penetrate the supply chain of MNEs… Fourth, there are the potential problems facing all companies, in developed and developing countries alike, which engage contract labour through different kinds of employment or recruitment agencies."10 Child labor could be viewed similarly. There are also many media reports of examples of child or forced labor occurring in specific situations.
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to consult with other departments and agencies of the United States Government to reduce forced and child labor internationally and ensure that products made by forced labor and child labor in violation of international standards are not imported into the United States. In the 2008 reauthorization, Section 110 of the Law requires the Department of Labor to produce a report that details a list of goods produced with child or forced labor: (a)
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Through one meeting held in Washington, DC, and several teleconferences, the planning committee developed an agenda for the workshop, including suggested presenters and invited audience members, and a draft framework designed to stimulate discussion. The planning committee conceptualized the draft framework for identifying and organizing a standard set of practices as consisting of two parts that were summarized in two brief documents made available at the workshop: a description of the context in which such practices could be made (and which could affect those practices)
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The committee felt that since committee members, presenters, international labor standards scholars, and other audience members present a range of different and sometimes conflicting ideas about what works, how to organize practices, and other issues it was premature to offer a single approach to identifying more effective business practices. The planning committee also felt that with experts on all sides present, there would be a lively discussion of the draft criteria.
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8 REDUCING THE USE OF FORCED OR CHILD LABOR the material in the workshop has been grouped into these three main categories -- context, business practices, and draft criteria -- rather than summarized chronologically as they occurred during the workshop. Chapter 6, the concluding chapter, presents a "wrap up" of the workshop in which planning committee members offered their thoughts on the main themes of the workshop.
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