The U.S. has one of the most powerful tools for preventing the import of goods made by forced labor: the Tariff Act. Yet, Section 307 of the Tariff Act is rarely enforced.  In its new report released today – “Combatting Forced Labor and Enforcing Workers’ Rights Using the Tariff Act” – the International Labor Rights Forum explains why and offers recommendations for improvement...

“Through the Tariff Act the U.S. has the capacity to make an enormous impact in combatting forced labor, but the lack of clear evidence standards and transparency by Customs and Border Protection is diminishing its potential impact.” said Esmeralda Lopez, Legal and Policy Director of the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) and author of the briefing paper.

ILRF has advocated for improvements to the Tariff Act and submitted allegations to protect victims of forced labor in Malaysia’s palm oil industry, the cotton industry in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, among others...