The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued a report and initial list of 122 goods in 58 countries it has reason to believe are produced with forced labor, child labor, or both, in violation of international standards.
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
The Labor Department and the Departments of State and Homeland Security have preliminarily concluded that there is a reasonable basis to believe that the following products, identified by their country of origin, might have been mined, produced, or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor:
On August 6, 2009, Senate Finance Committee leaders Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) introduced the "Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009" (S.1631).
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report entitled, "International Trade: Four Free Trade Agreements GAO Reviewed Have Resulted in Commercial Benefits, but Challenges on Labor and Environment Remain."
The House Rules Committee has posted the amendments that have been offered for the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" (ACES), H.R. 2454, which the House is scheduled to considered on June 26, 2009.
The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, which includes the "Defense Trade Controls Performance Improvement Act of 2009."
CBP has issued a notice stating that 19 USC 1307 prohibits the importation of goods produced by convict, forced or indentured labor. When information available reasonably, but not conclusively, indicates that merchandise within the purview of this provision is being imported, the Commissioner of Customs issues detention orders, pursuant to 19 CFR 12.42(e). See CBP's notice for a list of finding and detention orders that have been issued. (Notice, dated 03/25/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_outreach/convict_importations.xml)
On April 28, 2009 China and Peru signed a free trade agreement in Beijing. The agreement is the first FTA package China has signed with a Latin American country. (Notice, dated 04/28/09, available at http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6647262.html)
On March 5, 2009, the House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight held a hearing on "Putting People First: A Way Forward for the Homeland Security Workforce."
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a news release announcing the conclusion of the Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review for Taiwan. The USTR recognized Taiwan's progress on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights by removing Taiwan from the Special 301 Watch List. (USTR news release, dated 01/16/09, available at http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2009/January/asset_upload_file824_15293.pdf)