US sees big drop in child labour use by Indian carpet-makers

WASHINGTON - Finding sizeable drop in the use of child workers by India’s carpet industry, the US Labour Bureau has done away with the need for a guarantee from federal procurement agencies that such merchandise is free from child labour.

According to an official statement, after thorough third-party monitoring and detailed analysis of data collected on the use of child labour in the Indian carpet industry, the Labour Department received detailed submission for follow-up action.

“Such detailed information on the monitoring of registered looms provided an analysis suggesting that child labour, including forced child labour, has been significantly reduced in the production of carpets in India,” said the statement.

The statement, however, added that a final decision will be taken once it gets information on the use of forced child labour on both registered and unregistered looms through such research being conducted in South Asian countries, including India.

The issue figures in the executive order of the labour’s bureau’s international arm that requires federal contractors to certify that merchandise procured by them from overseas are produced without the use of forced or indentured child labour.

Yet, some of the items produced by India that are on the list include, bricks, garments, rice, hybrid cottonseed, embroidered “zari” textiles and stones. In the case of carpets, the countries that figure in the list are Nepal and Pakistan.

The origins of the list date back to 1999 when the US adopted an executive order on the prohibition of acquisition of products produced by forced or indentured child labour, applicable to federal procurement agencies.