Key Points
- The European Commission proposed an EU ban on products manufactured with forced labor on Wednesday (Sep 14).
- The proposal does not suggest the names of any specific countries.
- The European Commission brings to light the 27.6 million people International Labor Organizations suggest, engaged in forced labor.
The European Commission submitted a proposal for an EU ban on products manufactured with forced labor. The Commission submitted the proposal on Wednesday (Sep 14). However, the EU executive refrained from mentioning the names of any specific countries involved in forced labor.
The new EU proposal brings to light the 27.6 million people who engaged in forced labor. According to the International Labor Organization 27.6 million people engaged in forced labor in 2021. Moreover, this value accounts for 11% more than forced labor counts in 2016.
The highest rates of forced labor came from the Asia-Pacific region. Unfortunately, forced labor is also an issue in established countries with high incomes. Given the situation, the European Commission proposed to let the agencies in the 27 members of the EU search for forced labor in manufactured products. Additionally, the commission also plans to present decisions on a website to direct customs authorities.
The EU ban will govern all the stages of manufacturing a product to detect forced labor. Hence, the ban applies to all stages, including harvesting or extraction, components, and manufacturing. EU-made products and EU exports also fall under the supervision of the EU ban to restrict products manufactured with forced labor.
Reference,
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/eu-proposes-banning-products-made-forced-labour-2937921
