Public Meeting Offers Advice to Group dedicated to Eliminating Child Labor

Last week on May 29, 2010, a public meeting of the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products was held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to solicit advice from the public regarding recommendations and ways to reduce the importation of agricultural products and other commodities […]

Last week on May 29, 2010, a public meeting of the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products was held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to solicit advice from the public regarding recommendations and ways to reduce the importation of agricultural products and other commodities produced with child or forced labor.

In accordance with Section 3205 (b) of the Farm Bill Congress passed on June 18, 2008, the Group must “develop recommendations relating to guidelines to reduce the likelihood that agricultural products or commodities imported into the United States are produced with the use of forced labor and child labor.” Appointed by the Department of Labor (DOL), 13 members of the Group consist of officials from the government and higher education and nongovernmental organizations, including those from the private sector.

The meeting focused on three following areas: examples of certification systems or models proven to decrease child labor and/or forced labor in the supply chain within the agricultural sector and other industries; ways in which the business sector and stakeholders, like governments and unions, can establish third-party monitoring and verification systems within the supply chain; and any other information beneficial for the Group to fulfill its mandate to create recommendations for a third-party monitoring and verification system to reduce commodities imported into the United States produced using child labor and forced labor. Ten speakers submitted oral statements to the Group during the meeting.

“The fight to eradicate the worst forms of child labor is a priority for the Colombian Government. In consequence, it has not only enacted laws, but also invested substantial resources in the prevention and full eradication of these practices,” said Ricardo Triana, Director of the Colombian Government Trade Bureau who represented Carolina Barco, Ambassador of Colombia, who was the first to address the Group with his oral statement.

Though Colombia has incorporated ILO Conventions 138 and 182 into law, Triana fully admitted that the Department of Labor’s “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” identifies Colombia as producing eight products using child labor: bricks, coal, cocoa, coffee, emeralds, gold, pornography, and sugarcane. Although Colombia produces several commodities tainted with child labor, DOL acknowledges that the country has been cooperative in allowing the dissemination of information. Colombia is a large country, “equivalent to the size of Texas and California, with lots of jungles and plains,” said Triana. It is very difficult to reach certain remote areas, in some cases due to national security issues, but Triana promised that the Colombian Government will strengthen the commitment to eliminate the use of child labor.

“Under no circumstances is it acceptable for child, forced, or trafficked labor to be used in the production of any Gap Inc. product,” Darryl Knudsen, Gap Inc.’s Director of Public Policy and Stakeholder Engagement. Gap’s 15-year-old robust and thorough program seeks to “prevent, identify and remediate labor rights violations.” Gap has a team of nearly 80 employees worldwide who visit factories that manufacture apparel designed or branded by Gap. In 2009 Gap conducted over 2,300 inspections of 1,445 facilities and chose to revoke 24 factories from producing apparel for Gap. The company has collaborated with NGOs, trade unions, multi-stakeholder initiatives, Deputy Undersecretary Polaski, and others for nearly 10 years to amplify efforts in the direct supply chain. Gap also works with a number of coalitions, including the United Nations’ Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking, End Human Trafficking Now initiative, and The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement. The company has also “developed IT solutions to track the location of handwork production each time it is subcontracted by vendors,” said Knudsen. Since 2008, Gap has prohibited the use of Uzbek cotton in merchandise and notified vendors and mills of the same.

Free2Work has issued a “B” rating for Gap Inc., in part due to a low score for not paying workers living wages, not including the Code of Conduct in supplier contracts, not allowing site audit reports to be publicly accessible, among others. “Consumers are eager to know where their products come from and how they are produced,” said Kilian Moote, Director of Advocacy at Not for Sale Campaign. Along with International Labor Rights Forum, Not for Sale Campaign recently developed Free2Work, a project educating consumers on labor standards and corporate practices, which grades a variety of companies according to its Rating Tool and publicly available information. A “C” grade, for example, is technically a good grade, but companies with this rating must improve their transparency and treatment of employees.

The Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products holds monthly meetings often closed to the public, and last week’s meeting gave a number of industry experts the opportunity to offer advice to the Group. “We have not seen as much progress as we certainly would like to see,” admitted Peter McAllister, Executive Director of International Cocoa Initiative, a sentiment that rings true in numerous sectors today. The speakers stressed the need for more transparency in the chain of custody, improved monitoring of the informal sector, enforcement of laws, more community-based programs, and partnerships with government and nongovernmental organizations, focus groups, communities, and parents. Once the Group submits its recommendations due June 18, 2010 to the Secretary of Agriculture, within a year USDA will release guidelines for a voluntary initiative to combat child and forced labor issues.

Monique Marie DeJong currently works in Washington, D.C. as the U.S. reporter for London’s Centre for Investigative Journalism, reporting on corporate corruption and human rights and environmental violations. Prior to reporting, she worked for two years as an associate editor for NBC’s TODAY show travel editor in Los Angeles, California.

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Original source : http://mediavoicesforchildren.org/?p=4856…