Background

Noting that detecting child and forced labor in complex global supply chains can be a daunting challenge, the Department of Labor announced Feb. 9 two $4 million awards for projects to increase tracing of goods made by child or forced labor. One award will support pilot upstream tracing of raw cotton, thread/yarn, and textiles in India, while the other will support pilot tracing in supply chains for cotton in Pakistan and cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The DOL also announced two $4 million grants for projects to reduce child labor in the cocoa supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The grantees will work to enhance cocoa cooperatives’ capacity to monitor child labor and provide greater support to households with children at risk of such labor.

Finally, the DOL announced a $4.5 million cooperative agreement that will support a project to bolster the resiliency of vulnerable families in mica-producing communities in Madagascar, build the capacity of government officials there to address child labor in the mica supply chain, and increase the engagement of non-governmental stakeholders to combat this practice. Mined and processed mica is used in the manufacture of consumer goods such as automobiles, cosmetics, and electronics.

For more information on forced labor and how to avoid it in your supply chain, please contact Elise Shibles or Nicole Bivens Collinson.

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