Overview
This section establishes the federal government's policy to strictly enforce laws prohibiting the procurement of goods produced through forced or indentured child labor. It mandates that agencies actively avoid purchasing products manufactured under such conditions to ensure ethical and legal supply chain management.
Key Rules
- Mandatory Enforcement: Agencies must take appropriate action to enforce existing laws (including 19 U.S.C. 1307, 29 U.S.C. 201, and 41 U.S.C. chapter 65) that prohibit the manufacture or importation of goods made by forced or indentured child labor.
- Comprehensive Scope: The prohibition applies to products that are mined, produced, or manufactured "wholly or in part" by such labor.
- Standard of Conduct: Agencies are directed to make "every effort" to avoid the acquisition of prohibited products.
- Legal Statutory Alignment: This policy aligns federal procurement with broader customs, fair labor standards, and public contract statutes.
Practical Implications
- Contracting officers must implement due diligence procedures, typically through required contractor certifications (e.g., FAR 52.222-18), to ensure products do not originate from forced labor sources.
- Primes and subcontractors face significant compliance risks and potential debarment if they cannot verify that their global supply chains—even at the "in part" component level—are free of forced or indentured child labor.