Notice2024-20153
Notice of Publication to the Department of Labor's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, and Updates to the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor
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Published
September 6, 2024
Issuing agencies
Labor Department
Abstract
This notice announces the publication on September 5, 2024, of an updated list of goods--along with countries of origin--that the Department of Labor (DOL) has reason to believe are produced with child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards (the TVPRA List). DOL, in consultation with U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, also proposes to revise the list required by the Executive order entitled "Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor" to add garments from Bangladesh and invites public comments. Finally, DOL invites information and/or comment on the likelihood of child labor and/or forced child labor in the production of shrimp from India, on child labor and/or forced labor risks in gold supply chain inputs connected to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and any other product not mentioned in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72897-72898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20153]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
[Agency Docket Number DOL-2024-0005]
Notice of Publication to the Department of Labor's List of Goods
Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, and Updates to the List of
Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or
Indentured Child Labor
AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice of publication of List of Goods Produced by Child labor
or Forced Labor and proposed revisions to the List of Products
Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured
Child Labor pursuant to Executive Order 13126; request for information.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the publication on September 5, 2024, of
an updated list of goods--along with countries of origin--that the
Department of Labor (DOL) has reason to believe are produced with child
labor or forced labor in violation of international standards (the
TVPRA List). DOL, in consultation with U.S. Departments of State and
Homeland Security, also proposes to revise the list required by the
Executive order entitled ``Prohibition of Acquisition of Products
Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor'' to add garments from
Bangladesh and invites public comments. Finally, DOL invites
information and/or comment on the likelihood of child labor and/or
forced child labor in the production of shrimp from India, on child
labor and/or forced labor risks in gold supply chain inputs connected
to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and any other product not mentioned
in this notice.
DATES: Comments should be submitted to the Office of Child Labor,
Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) via one of the methods
described below and must be received by no later than 11:59 p.m. ET,
December 16, 2024, to guarantee consideration.
ADDRESSES: Information submitted to the Department of Labor should be
submitted directly to OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S.
Department of Labor by 11:59 p.m. ET, on December 16, 2024. Comments,
identified as ``Docket No. DOL-2024-0005,'' may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: The portal includes instructions for
submitting comments. Parties submitting responses electronically are
encouraged not to submit paper copies.
Digital Accessibility: DOL is required to ensure that all its
digital information is accessible to people with disabilities,
including those who use assistive technology such as screen readers.
Therefore, DOL requests that your submissions through the portal be as
accessible as possible. If you are able to conform to the current Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), then please do so. Otherwise,
DOL requests that submissions be made in a Microsoft Word document,
using the built-in Styles for document formatting, including
descriptive Alt Text on embedded images and graphics, and using the
built-in Word Accessibility Checker for additional accessibility
improvements. Although permissible, please avoid submitting scanned
images, screen shots, or PDFs whenever possible.
Facsimile (fax): OCFT at 202-693-4830.
[[Page 72898]]
Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger Service (1
copy): Matthew Fraterman at U.S. Department of Labor, ILAB/Office of
Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, 200 Constitution Ave.
NW, Room S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
Email: Email submissions should be addressed to Matthew Fraterman.
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e2abaea3a0cf878dd3d1d3d0d4a2868d8ecc858d94"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bcf5f0fdfe91d9d38d8f8d8e8afcd8d3d092dbd3ca">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Fraterman, Office of Child
Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, Bureau of International
Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor at (202) 693-4833 (this is not
a toll-free number) or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7a3c081b0e1f08171b1454171b0e0e121f0d3a1e1516541d150c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cb8db9aabfaeb9a6aaa5e5a6aabfbfa3aebc8bafa4a7e5aca4bd">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals with
hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone number above via
TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. TVPRA List: The Bureau of International
Labor Affairs (ILAB) announces the publication of the eleventh edition
of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA
List), pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization
Act of 2005, as amended (TVPRA). DOL published the initial TVPRA List
on September 10, 2009, and has since published ten updated editions.
The 2024 edition of the TVPRA List includes 204 goods from 82
countries. This eleventh edition adds a total of 72 items and removes
four items from the TVPRA List: blueberries from Argentina, salt from
Cambodia, fluorspar from Mongolia, and shrimp from Thailand.
Section 105(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2005, Public Law 109-164 (2006), 22 U.S.C
7112(b), as amended by section 133 of the Frederick Douglass
Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of
2018, Public Law 115-425 (2019), directs the Secretary of Labor, acting
through ILAB, to ``develop and make available to the public a list of
goods from countries that [ILAB] has reason to believe are produced by
forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards,
including, to the extent practicable, goods that are produced with
inputs that are produced with forced labor or child labor.''
The primary purposes of the TVPRA List are to raise public
awareness about the prevalence of child labor and forced labor in the
production of goods in the countries listed and to promote efforts to
eliminate such practices. The updated TVPRA List, methodology, and
bibliography of sources is available on DOL's website.
II. E.O. 13126 List: DOL is requesting public comment on the
revision to the list proposed below, as well as any other issue related
to the fair and effective implementation of Executive Order (E.O.)
13126, ``Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or
Indentured Child Labor''. This notice is a general solicitation of
comments from the public. All submitted comments will be made a part of
the public record and will be available for inspection on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
The E.O. 13126 List identifies a list of products, by their country
of origin, that DOL, in consultation and cooperation with the
Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security
(hereinafter ``the Departments''), has a reasonable basis to believe
might have been mined, produced, or manufactured by forced or
indentured child labor. Federal contracting officers must check the
E.O. 13126 List when issuing a solicitation for supplies expected to
exceed the micro-purchase threshold and take certain steps if the
solicited product appears on the list (48 CFR 22.1503).
In conducting research for this initial determination, DOL
considered a wide variety of materials based on its own research and
originating from other U.S. Government agencies, international
organizations, non-governmental organizations, academic and other
independent research, media, and other sources. In developing the
proposed revision to the E.O. 13126 List, DOL's review focused on
information concerning the use of forced or indentured child labor that
was available from the above sources.
As outlined in the Procedural Guidelines, several factors were
weighed in determining whether or not a product should be placed on the
revised E.O. 13126 List: The nature of the information describing the
use of forced or indentured child labor; the source of the information;
the date of the information; the extent of corroboration of the
information by other sources; whether the information involved more
than an isolated incident; and whether recent and credible efforts are
being made to address forced or indentured child labor in a particular
country or industry (66 FR 5351).
This notice constitutes the initial determination to revise the
E.O. 13126 List. Based on recent credible and appropriately
corroborated information from various sources, the Departments
preliminarily conclude there is a reasonable basis to believe that the
following product, identified by the country of origin, might have been
mined, produced, or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor:
garments from Bangladesh. DOL invites public comment on whether this
product should be included in the revised E.O. 13126 List.
III. Request for Information: Finally, DOL invites public comment
on whether other goods or products, regardless of whether they are
mentioned in this notice, should be included in or removed from the
E.O. 13126 List and/or future editions of the TVPRA List.
Specifically, DOL seeks information and/or comment on the
likelihood of child labor and/or forced child labor in the production
of shrimp from India. DOL has not determined at this time to add shrimp
from India to the E.O. 13126 List but requests relevant information on
this and any other products that pertain to the maintenance of the E.O.
13126 List.
In addition, DOL seeks information and/or comment on child labor
and/or forced labor in gold supply chain inputs in the production of
downstream goods in the UAE, including gold originating from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic,
Mali, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and any other relevant countries, as well as
efforts to address child labor and/or forced labor in global supply
chains in Africa and improve traceability into the UAE and other
markets. DOL has not determined at this time to add gold from the UAE
to the TVPRA List but requests relevant information on this and any
other products that pertain to the maintenance of the TVPRA List.
Where applicable, information submitted should indicate its source
or sources and copies of the source material should be provided. If
primary sources are utilized, such as research studies, interviews,
direct observations, or other sources of quantitative or qualitative
data, details on the research or data-gathering methodology should be
provided.
(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7112(b)(2)(C))
Signed at Washington, DC, this 3rd day of September, 2024.
Thea Mei Lee,
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-20153 Filed 9-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P
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