Date of publication: September 11, 2009
Source: CBC
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Children around the world are producing numerous goods being sold globally, says a report released by the U.S. Department of Labour.
The report released Thursday found that 218 million children work worldwide, and that 126 million of them perform dangerous jobs.
The U.S. Labour Department has identified 122 goods from 58 countries it believes to be produced by forced labour, child labour or a combination of the two. Children commonly work to produce products or crops such as:
* Cotton
* Sugar cane
* Tobacco
* Coffee
* Rice
* Cocoa
* Bricks
* Garments
* Carpets
* Footwear
* Gold
* Coal
"Three of the ones I would single out are cocoa, cotton and rubber," Tim Newman, the campaign director for the workers' advocacy group, the International Labour Rights Forum in Washington, D.C., told CBC Radio's As It Happens.
He said Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Ghana were the worst offenders when it came to using children to produce cocoa, while 15 countries were listed as using child labour to pick and process cotton. Newman said Liberia was singled out for child labour abuses in the rubber industry.
"It is my strong hope that consumers, firms, governments, labour unions and other stakeholders will use this information to translate their economic power into a force for good that ultimately will eliminate abusive child labour and forced labour," said U.S. Secretary of Labour Hilda Solis, in a release.
The aim of the research is to identify which countries are the biggest offenders, says Newman. "This list can help consumers to support products companies that use certification programs that have strong labour standards. But he admits "there are no real teeth behind this."
Newman wants more companies to certify on their products that they abide by labour laws and produce goods without employing children. He cites Cadbury PLC, which recently announced that its Dairy Milk bars would be fair trade-certified in the U.K. The company has announced that its fair trade chocolate bars will be available in Canada at the beginning of 2010.
The reports were based on data gleaned from foreign embassies and governments, international and non-governmental organizations, field projects, academic reports and media coverage. Child labour is defined as work done by children under the age of 15.