US suspends tobacco imports from Malawi over forced child labor allegations US suspends tobacco imports from Malawi over forced child labor allegations - CNNPolitics: Washington (CNN)The United States on Friday suspended imports of all tobacco and tobacco products from Malawi for alleged forced labor practices -- including child labor.
Customs and Border Protection, which holds the authority to detain imports, has recently ramped up its efforts to hold companies and suppliers accountable for forced labor practices. The agency issued a "Withhold Release Order" on tobacco from Malawi on Friday, allowing it to detain goods believed to have been produced with forced labor.
"Malawi tobacco is one of those areas where we are trying to send a message," CBP Office Of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith told CNN.
Forced labor in Malawi has been well documented. Despite some advancement in preventing child labor, children in Malawi are still engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in the harvesting of tobacco and in commercial sexual exploitation, according to the US Department of Labor.
Children working with tobacco risk illness from nicotine absorption, including "green tobacco sickness," the Labor Department states. They are also exposed to pesticides, chemicals, and harsh weather conditions.
This type of enforcement is rare for the US, but has significantly increased over the past few years.
