81 FR 67392 - Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Forced or Indentured Child Labor in the Production of Goods in Foreign Countries and Efforts by Certain Foreign Countries To Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 190 (September 30, 2016)

This notice is a request for information and/or comment on three reports issued by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) regarding child labor and forced labor in certain foreign countries. Relevant information submitted by the public will be used by the Department of Labor (DOL) in preparation of its ongoing reporting under Congressional mandates and Presidential directive. The 2015 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report (TDA report), published on September 30, 2016, assesses efforts by 137 countries to reduce the worst forms of child labor over the course of 2015 and reports whether countries made significant, moderate, minimal, or no advancement during that year. It also suggests actions foreign countries can take to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through legislation, enforcement, coordination, policies, and social programs. The 2016 edition of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List), published on September 30, 2016, makes available to the public a list of goods from countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. Finally, the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor (EO List), most recently published on December 1, 2014, provides a list of products, identified by country of origin, that the Department, in consultation and cooperation with the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS), have a reasonable basis to believe might have been mined, produced or manufactured with forced or indentured child labor. Relevant information submitted by the public will be used by DOL in preparation of the next edition of the TDA report, to be published in 2017; the next edition of the TVPRA List, to be published in 2018; and for possible updates to the EO List as needed.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67392-67393]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23612]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Forced or Indentured Child Labor 
in the Production of Goods in Foreign Countries and Efforts by Certain 
Foreign Countries To Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

AGENCY: The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, United States 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice: Request for information and invitation to comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice is a request for information and/or comment on 
three reports issued by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs 
(ILAB) regarding child labor and forced labor in certain foreign 
countries. Relevant information submitted by the public will be used by 
the Department of Labor (DOL) in preparation of its ongoing reporting 
under Congressional mandates and Presidential directive. The 2015 
Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report (TDA report), 
published on September 30, 2016, assesses efforts by 137 countries to 
reduce the worst forms of child labor over the course of 2015 and 
reports whether countries made significant, moderate, minimal, or no 
advancement during that year. It also suggests actions foreign 
countries can take to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through 
legislation, enforcement, coordination, policies, and social programs. 
The 2016 edition of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced 
Labor (TVPRA List), published on September 30, 2016, makes available to 
the public a list of goods from countries that ILAB has reason to 
believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of 
international standards. Finally, the List of Products Produced by 
Forced or Indentured Child Labor (EO List), most recently published on 
December 1, 2014, provides a list of products, identified by country of 
origin, that the Department, in consultation and cooperation with the 
Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS), have a 
reasonable basis to believe might have been mined, produced or 
manufactured with forced or indentured child labor. Relevant 
information submitted by the public will be used by DOL in preparation 
of the next edition of the TDA report, to be published in 2017; the 
next edition of the TVPRA List, to be published in 2018; and for 
possible updates to the EO List as needed.

DATES: Submitters of information are requested to provide their 
submission to the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human 
Trafficking (OCFT) at the email or physical address below by 5 p.m. 
December 16, 2016.
    To Submit Information: Information should be submitted directly to 
OCFT, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor. 
Comments, identified as ``Docket No. DOL-2016-0006'', may be submitted 
by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    The portal includes instructions for submitting comments. Parties 
submitting responses electronically are encouraged not to submit paper 
copies.
    Facsimile (fax): OCFT at 202-693-4830.
    Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger Service (1 
copy): Chanda Uluca and Rachel Rigby at U.S. Department of Labor, OCFT, 
Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Room S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
    Email: Email submissions should be addressed to both Chanda Uluca 
([email protected]) and Rachel Rigby ([email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chanda Uluca and Rachel Rigby. Please 
see contact information above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. The Trade and Development Act of 2000 (TDA), Public Law 106-200 
(2000), established a new eligibility criterion for receipt of trade 
benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The TDA 
amended the GSP reporting requirements of Section 504 of the Trade Act 
of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2464, to require that the President's annual report 
on the status of internationally recognized worker rights include 
``findings by the Secretary of Labor with respect to the beneficiary 
country's implementation of its international commitments to eliminate 
the worst forms of child labor.''
    DOL fulfills this reporting mandate through annual publication of 
the U.S. Department of Labor's Findings on the Worst Forms of Child 
Labor with respect to countries eligible for GSP. The 2015 TDA report 
and additional background information will be available on the Internet 
at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings/.
    II. Section 105(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (``TVPRA of 2005''), Public Law 109-164 
(2006), directed the Secretary of Labor, acting through ILAB, to 
``develop and make available to the public a list of goods from 
countries that the Bureau of International Labor Affairs has reason to 
believe are produced by

[[Page 67393]]

forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards'' 
(TVPRA List).
    Pursuant to this mandate, in December 2007, DOL published in the 
Federal Register a set of procedural guidelines that ILAB follows in 
developing the TVPRA List (72 FR 73374). The guidelines set forth the 
criteria by which information is evaluated; established procedures for 
public submission of information to be considered by ILAB; and 
identified the process ILAB follows in maintaining and updating the 
List after its initial publication.
    ILAB published its first TVPRA List on September 30, 2009, and has 
issued updates in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. (In 2014, 
ILAB began publishing the TVPRA List every other year, pursuant to 
changes in the law. See 22 U.S.C. 7112(b).) The next TVPRA List will be 
published in 2018. For a copy of the 2016 TVPRA List, Frequently Asked 
Questions, and other materials relating to the TVPRA List, see ILAB's 
TVPRA Web page at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/.
    III. Executive Order No. 13126 (E.O. 13126) declared that it was 
``the policy of the United States Government . . . that the executive 
agencies shall take appropriate actions to enforce the laws prohibiting 
the manufacture or importation of goods, wares, articles, and 
merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by 
forced or indentured child labor.'' Pursuant to E.O. 13126, and 
following public notice and comment, the Department of Labor published 
in the January 18, 2001 Federal Register, a final list of products 
(``EO List''), identified by country of origin, that the Department, in 
consultation and cooperation with the Departments of State (DOS) and 
Treasury [relevant responsibilities are now within the Department of 
Homeland Security (DHS)], had a reasonable basis to believe might have 
been mined, produced or manufactured with forced or indentured child 
labor (66 FR 5353). In addition to the List, the Department also 
published on January 18, 2001, ``Procedural Guidelines for Maintenance 
of the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as 
to Forced or Indentured Child Labor,'' which provide for maintaining, 
reviewing, and, as appropriate, revising the EO List (66 FR 5351).
    Pursuant to Sections D through G of the Procedural Guidelines, the 
EO List may be updated through consideration of submissions by 
individuals or through OCFT's own initiative.
    DOL has officially revised the EO List four times, most recently on 
July 23, 2013, each time after public notice and comment as well as 
consultation with DOS and DHS.
    The current EO List, Procedural Guidelines, and related information 
can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-products/index-country.htm.
    Information Requested and Invitation to Comment: Interested parties 
are invited to comment and provide information regarding these reports. 
DOL requests comments or information to maintain and update the TVPRA 
and EO Lists and to update the findings and suggestions for government 
action for countries reviewed in the TDA report, as well as to assess 
each country's individual advancement toward eliminating the worst 
forms of child labor during the current reporting period compared to 
previous years. For more information on the types of issues covered in 
the TDA report, please see Appendix III of the report. Materials 
submitted should be confined to the specific topics of the TVPRA List, 
EO List, and TDA report. DOL will generally consider sources with dates 
up to five years old (i.e., data not older than January 1, 2012). DOL 
appreciates the extent to which submissions clearly indicate the time 
period to which they apply. In the interest of transparency in our 
reporting, classified information will not be accepted. 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. Please see the TVPRA List, EO List, and TDA report for a 
complete explanation of relevant terms, definitions, and reporting 
guidelines employed by DOL.

Carol Pier,
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-23612 Filed 9-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-28-P