We, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, express deep concern at reports of forced labour in the Chinese toy market. This industry, which produces over 70% of the world’s toys, is credibly accused of flooding the global toy market with toys produced using forced and child labour. If this weren’t serious enough, these products often pose chemical health hazards both to those who make them and the children who play with them.
Children deserve to be protected from slave-made toys, and the toxic chemicals they contain.
We, therefore, call on our governments, in cooperation with the private sector, to:
- Implement corporate due diligence and social responsibility frameworks, and review the effectiveness of toy safety certification schemes in light of recent findings;
- Strengthen screening procedures for presence of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals reportedly present in these toys;
- Ensure distributors placing toys on the market comply with prohibitions on the import of goods made with forced labour, together with existing standards for labelling, warnings and technical documentation.
Signed By:
Fatmir Mediu MP, Albania
Sanela Klarić MP, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Adi Kalem MP, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Rep Georges Dallemagne, Belgium
Hon. Irwin Cotler, Canada
Sen. Pavel Fischer, Czechia
Rep Eva Decroix, Czechia
Miriam Lexmann MEP, EU
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP, EU
Michaela Šojdrová MEP, EU
Andre Gattolin, France
Sen. Olivier Cadic, France
Boris Mijatovic MdB, Germany
Michael Brand MdB, Germany
Gyde Jensen MdB, Germany
Sen. Barry Ward, Ireland
Žygimantas Pavilionis MP, Lithuania
Dovilė Šakalienė MP, Lithuania
Tom van der Lee MP, Netherlands
Ingrid Leary MP, New Zealand
Guri Melby MP, Norway
Antonio Miloshoski MP, North Macedonia
Elisabet Lann MP, Sweden
Fabian Molina MP, Switzerland
Oleksandr Merezhko MP, Ukraine
Mykola Kniazhytskyi MP, Ukraine
Jan Paternotte MP, Netherlands
Sen. Mary Seery-Kearney, Ireland
Avdullah Hoti MP, Kosovo
Catalin Tenita MP, Romania
Enver Hoxhaj MP, Kosovo
Nicolas Walder MP, Switzerland
Morten Messerschmidt MP, Denmark
Alexandru Muraru MP, Romania
