Submission to the US Trade Representative’s Office on Section 301 Investigation of Unfair Trade Practices/Forced Labor Import Bans
Forced labor import prohibitions are likely the most effective tool any government has in fighting forced labor outside its own borders and protecting workers, consumers, and legitimate trade worldwide from the deleterious effects of forced labor. No country or company should contribute to or benefit from forced labor. However, there is forced labor in international supply chains that has long been ignored because it keeps prices low and is largely invisible.
If many countries adopt the import bans at the same time, we have an opportunity to create a harmonized set of principles, similar to the moment when countries around the world adopted the Palermo Protocol to prohibit human trafficking in 2000. Implementation will be a challenge and not every country will immediately have the capacity to enforce these laws to the fullest extent possible. The same was true of anti-trafficking laws 25 years ago. But we must not be discouraged – protecting the rights of workers is paramount.
It is critical to remember that forced labor import bans are not a new concept or even one driven by the United States, but one that emerges from workers’ and human rights advocacy groups’ demands for governments to hold corporations responsible for high labor standards throughout their value chains.
Forced labor import bans should be understood as a means to defend workers, consumers, and legitimate trade globally. The work to pass these laws will require sustained, collaborative efforts around the world and a commitment to the very people who are most affected by forced labor.
Submitted April 2026