Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) released an update if its annual child labor report, Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, which includes research on child labor in 135 countries and is accompanied by the release of the updated Sweat & Toil mobile app. In addition, ILAB launched a new toolkit and mobile app, Comply Chain: Business Tools for Labor Compliance in Global Supply Chains to help companies to address forced and child labor in their supply chains.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2005 mandated ILAB to create a set of standards and practices to reduce forced and child labor in the production of goods. Comply Chain gives companies eight concrete steps of a social compliance system: Engage Stakeholders and Partners; Assess Risks And Impacts; Develop a Code of Conduct; Communicate and Train across your Supply Chain; Monitor Compliance; Remediate Violations; Independent Review; and Report Performance.
Each step has a module that includes learning objectives, key terms, topics for exploration, and additional resources. The app provides general information about why companies should implement compliance systems, including relevant laws and regulations. ILAB encourages companies to engage with each of the individual modules to ensure a comprehensive system.
A wide range of partners and experts contributed content for Comply Chain, including National Academy of Sciences and Center for Reflection, Education and Action, which carried out the initial research.
For more information, please visit ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking website.