EGYPT: COMMENTS ON DOL'S DRAFT LIST OF GOODS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 000402

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA; DRL/ILAB FOR ANZALDUA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2019
TAGS: EAGR EIND ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: COMMENTS ON DOL'S DRAFT LIST OF GOODS
PRODUCED BY CHILD LABOR

REF: A. SECSTATE 1730

B. 08 CAIRO 1192

Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs
William R. Stewart for Reason 1.4(d).


1. (C) Post appreciates the opportunity to comment on the
Department of Labor's (DOL) draft list of goods that it has
evidence are produced with child or forced labor. (ref A)
For Egypt, the DOL proposes listing limestone and cotton as
such goods.


2. (SBU) With respect to limestone, Post recently reported
that there is evidence that child labor is used in the
production of limestone in quarries located near the Upper
Egyptian city of Minya. (ref B) As noted in Post's
reporting, however, the Government of Egypt, in partnership
with the NGO community, appears to be making significant
efforts to address the problem.


3. (C) With respect to cotton, Post asks DOL to share with
it the basis for its proposal to list cotton as a product
produced with child labor. While we are aware of some media
reports that children are involved in the production of
cotton in Egypt, it is difficult to document or quantify the
degree of the problem. Since receiving the draft list from
DOL, we have talked to a number of organizations involved in
combating child labor in Egypt, including the World Food
Program and the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social
Services. Both were aware of reports regarding the use child
labor in cotton production in Egypt, but neither had any
meaningful statistics. Similarly, the quasi-governmental
National Council on Childhood and Motherhood told us that it
did not have statistics on the use of child labor in cotton
production, but was in the process of commissioning a study
to determine the extent of the problem.
SCOBEY