Doulot Akter Mala

The United States Department of Labour (USDOL) has identified 122 goods of 58 countries manufactured by child/forced labour.

The USDOL has submitted the list of products in the US congress last month with the names of manufacturing countries.

Twelve of the products are manufactured in Bangladesh engaging child labours.

"The report mentions that Bangladesh engages child labour in producing Bidis, Bricks, dried fish, footwear, furniture (steel), glass, leather, matches, salt, shrimp, soap, textiles and textiles (jute)," Kazi Md. Shamsul Alam, commercial councillor of Bangladesh embassy in Washington informed the government in a letter.

"US law restricts importation of goods manufactured by forced labour and child labour," Alam wrote in a letter sent to ministries of commerce, labour and employment, foreign affairs and fisheries and livestock.

The US department sent the report on its investigation to the Bangladesh embassy in Washington that the commercial councillor forwarded to the relevant ministries.

A high-powered two-member delegation of USDOL is scheduled to visit the country next Thursday to review the present situation in those manufacturing industries, said a senior government official.

The team, comprising democracy, rights and labour adviser Rozina R Damanwala and Erin M Spitzew, will inspect the condition of existing industries before a public hearing on child and forced labour issues in US next November, he said.

The US department has carried out the study for framing a law titled Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), the commercial councillor wrote in the letter.

"The TVPRA requires the department of labour to ensure that products made by forced labour or child labour in violation of international standards are not imported into the US," Alam wrote.

The labour department carried out the study to create a standard set of practices to check use of prohibited forms of labour in manufacturing of goods, he said.

USDOL compiled data with the help of media, non-governmental organisation and US government sources for their evaluation.

USDOL report identified 60 agricultural goods, 38 manufactured goods and 23 mined or quarried goods using child/forced labour.

On agricultural sector, 15 countries are using child or forced labour in cotton production while 14 countries in sugarcane, 13 countries in tobacco, 12 countries in coffee, eight countries in rice and five countries in cocoa.

On manufacturing sector, 15 countries use child or forced labour in brick field, six countries in garments, five countries in carpets and footwear.

In mined or quarried goods, the USDOL has found 17 countries using forced or child labour in gold mines and six countries in coal mines.