Washington – Obama Bans US Imports Of Slave-Produced Goods

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    U.S. President Barack Obama signs HR 644, The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, February 24, 2016. Witnessing are (L-R) Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Gil Kerlikowske, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Dave Reichart (R-WA), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).        REUTERS/Mike Theiler Washington – President Barack Obama signed a bill Wednesday that includes a provision banning U.S. imports of fish caught by slaves in Southeast Asia, gold mined by children in Africa and garments sewn by abused women in Bangladesh, closing a loophole in an 85-year-old tariff law that has failed to keep products of forced and child labor out of America.

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    An expose by The Associated Press last year found Thai companies ship seafood to the U.S. that was caught and processed by trapped and enslaved workers. As a result of the reports, more than 2,000 trapped fishermen have been rescued, more than a dozen alleged traffickers arrested and millions of dollars’ worth of seafood and vessels seized.

    Until now, U.S. customs law banning imports of items produced by forced or child labor had gone largely unenforced because of two words: “consumptive demand” — if there was not sufficient supply to meet domestic demand, imports were allowed regardless of how they were produced.

    Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who offered the amendment eliminating that exception, said Wednesday his office is already asking U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure they begin enforcing the new rules when the law takes effect in 15 days.

    “It’s embarrassing that for 85 years, the United States let products made with forced labor into this country, and closing this loophole gives the U.S. an important tool to fight global slavery,” he said.


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    5 Comments
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    MarkTwain2
    MarkTwain2
    8 years ago

    Most goods used in America were made by slaves. Much Chinese import is produced at factories where the workers are defacto slaves. Read up on the topic and you’ll quickly see how sad this situation is for so many Chinese laborers.

    sighber
    sighber
    8 years ago

    What about products made by US prisoners?

    leahle
    leahle
    8 years ago

    We are talking about horrific conditions in the seafood industry. Thousands of people are locked in metal cages on fishing boats. Not only should we ban their products, we should take action against the countries that promote such conditions (Thailand being a big offender).