Criticisms of the USTR report

The USTR report on forced labour has been roundly criticised in many quarters. For example, it has been described as a “copy/paste” job completed in “record time” — around two months, even though an investigation of a single jurisdiction routinely takes between five and eighteen months.

Moreover, some critics have noted that the report’s emphasis is less on human rights than it is on economic interests. This is evident in the report’s language. Forced labour is framed as both a “moral” and an “economic imperative”. There are few references to the “victims” of forced labour, and even then, they are framed in terms of “profit” — that is, the financial loss to industry, per victim. The number of references to the “burdens” or “restrictions” on US commerce is much higher compared to those of forced labour victims. The report also makes multiple references to “unfair” and “distort[ed] competition”, “artificial increase in the comparative advantage of the economy”, “displacement of fairly produced goods”, “unfair cost advantage” and “labor and compliance costs”.

Finally, some of the parties named in the report — most notably the EU — are implementing their own ban on forced labour and therefore consider its findings “unjustified”.

Forced labour in the United States

In validating its findings of non-existent or ineffectively enforced forced labour protections in the named countries, the USTR report makes reference to the enforcement of US prohibitions. It also cites “persistent patterns” within the countries listed of failing to provide minimum age standards for the employment of children, as well as minimum wage, hours of work, and occupational safety and health standards, among other labour protections. But what about the United States’ enforcement of its own prohibitions and record on human and labour rights?

Despite the ban on imports from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a 2025 joint investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel linked multiple US companies among 100 or more global brands to factories using Uyghur and other ethnic minority forced labour. In fact, under the second Trump administration, there has been a reported drop in the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (2021). In part, this is due to cuts in 2025 by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, which is responsible for enforcing commitments to prevent forced labour.

American companies — including Apple, Tesla and Nike — have, on multiple occasions, faced allegations of forced labour, debt bondage or other similar forms of modern slavery and labour abuses within their global supply chains. According to the Business and Human Rights Centre, US companies are “almost four times more frequently” linked to reported abuses than the next most common company-headquartered country, the UK.

Contrary to the argument that tariffs increase the “disparity” and “unlevel playing field” for American workers, companies like Nike have been accused of increasingly offshoring production to countries where the minimum wage is less than a living wage to reduce their labour costs.

Within the United States, there have been allegations of forced labour and other modern slavery-like practices. In 2023, the New York Times reported that migrant children as young as 12 were working dangerous and deadly jobs for major US brands. More recently, it has been revealed that immigrants detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities across the country have been forced to work in the US government’s so-called Voluntary Work Program for $1 per day — work that is essential to the operation of these detention facilities. According to the nonprofit organisation Public Citizen, the largest contractor of ICE detention facilities saved $3 million in a single detention centre in Washington State by paying only $22,100 per year in wages to immigrant detainees. In May, immigrants detained at an ICE facility in New Jersey went on a hunger and labour strike in order to protest the conditions of the facility and the wages.

Modern slavery is also “legal” in the US in the form of compulsory, state-imposed prison labour. The Thirteenth Amendment of the US Constitution abolished slavery, except as a form of punishment. The US has the largest prison population in the world, the overwhelming majority of which are Black people and people of colour. Approximately two-thirds of incarcerated people are forced to work for private or state-owned companies for an average of $0.86 per day — all the while, they are excluded from labour protections (because their work is classified as punishment) and under threat of violence or other forms of punishment (such as prolonged solitary confinement).

Interesting. Are we also going to source our Nike shoes from reputable shoe manufacturers, and pay $500 for a pair, instead of the usual $200?

Oh, what the hell am I worried about? If the dickheads are willing to pay $200 for shoes, they will fork out $500 no worries. Meanwhile, I make a $30 pair of running shoes I get from Big W last 5 years.

Shame you haven't pu in an appearance in this thread, old boy.

Proof that slavery has not ended at all and that colonialism just gave way to corporations.

We've been telling you this for years but here it all is, with even Trump's 2c ... just to peak your interest.

So now we all know that slavery and colonialism haven't actually ended, how do you think the far reaches of the world are faring?

"Shithole countries", dd i hear you say?

Why on earth would any of them want to come here?

Why don't any of us want to go there?!?!!?!

mothra wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2026 at 10:51am:


Oh? The old boy says that slavery ended far too soon.

He's not talking about the modern definition of labour exploitation either, he means the good old days of rum, sodomy and the lash.

Now I don't know about you, Mother, but I hardly feel the current US administration cares too much about forced labour. It's just a cunning way to impose tariffs.

Our federal and NSW state governments have had a key focus on modern slavery over the last two years. It follows various court rulings, such as the 711 class action findings.

We Australians stand against labour exploitation with every fibre of our being. We ruled out slavery early in our settlement. While our history is far from perfect, many of us campaigned against indigenous labour exploitation too.

For us, slavery and colonialism couldn't end quick enough.

But that's just us.

Superior culture, innit.