AIM-Progress has released two new resources in partnership with The Centre for Child Rights and Business (the Centre) to address potential risks of child labor in the United States.
Cases of child labor in the US have surged, especially involving unaccompanied migrant minors and high school students in hazardous or excessive work.
The first resource is a new Child Labor Remediation Framework for the United States. The framework provides companies with a practical, rights-based roadmap for business-funded remediation in the United States, adapted from global best practices. It outlines key steps—from rapid assessment and immediate response to case management and long-term monitoring—and lists national organisations and resources that can support companies when cases are detected.
The second resource is the result of research conducted by the Centre to map and engage stakeholders that can support child labor remediation (CLR) processes in Northwestern Indiana and Southwestern Minnesota. The research identified gaps in the ability of local organisations to respond quickly and accurately regarding child labor suspicions and cases. It also found a need for investment and coordination in order to provide a roster of specialized support organizations offering legal aid, education, and other services.
These resources are designed to:
- Support businesses to build relationships with community organisations who can strengthen their ability to remediate cases of child labor;
- Build effective, business-funded remediation processes aligned with child rights principles and existing US support structures.
Both of these documents are summaries of more comprehensive documents developed for AIM-Progress in 2025 as part of our work to tackle potential risks of child and forced labor in US manufacturing.
The overarching objectives of our work are to:
- Raise awareness of child and forced labor amongst US manufacturing sector and service providers;
- Strengthen the sector’s management systems for identifying, addressing and remediating cases;
- Support procurement teams to better identify suppliers and service providers capability in this space and support continuous improvement;
- Create a blueprint to replicate effective remediation for future cases of child labor and avoid non-repetition.
Members can access the full framework and research through the Member Portal.