US Labor Dept. cites child labour use by NR producers

Tire Business staff report

Washington - Liberia, Burma, Cambodia and the Philippines use child labour in the production of natural rubber, according to a list compiled by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).

Developed from procedural guidelines published in the 27 Dec 2007, Federal Register, the ILAB list presents 122 agricultural or manufactured goods in 58 countries that it says are produced in violation of international standards on the case of child labour and forced labour.

Cambodia uses forced labour as well as child labour in the production of rubber, according to the ILAB list. Footwear manufacturers in Bangladesh, Brazil, India and Indonesia also use child labour, whereas those in China use forced labour, the list states.

ILAB quoted statistics from the International Labor Organization (ILO) stating that some 218 million children work worldwide, 126 million of them in hazardous occupations. Also, the ILO estimates that some 12. 3 million people-both children and adults-are trapped in forced labour around the world.

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US Labor Dept. cites child labour use by NR producers from Tire Business, a Crain publication.