Govt Steps Up Actions Over Forced Labour Risks in Southern Tea Sector ⚠️

• Overview: The Labour Ministry told the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) that awareness and enforcement measures have been launched to address forced labour risks in the Southern Province's tea smallholder sector. • Background: Action follows an Amnesty International report highlighting forced labour concerns. Under Sri Lanka’s Penal Code, forced labour is a criminal offence. • Capacity Building: Supported by the ILO, the initiative trained 30 master trainers, who subsequently trained ~250 officials from the Police, Department of Labour, and Foreign Affairs Ministry. • Key Risk Indicators: Practices identified include withholding certificates/IDs, delayed or partial wage payments, and restricting job mobility—creating conditions where workers feel trapped to recover unpaid wages. • Market & Trade Impact: Officials emphasized supply-chain compliance to safeguard export access, particularly to the US. Labor-intensive agricultural sectors like tea face higher scrutiny compared to automated manufacturing like apparel & textiles. • Mechanism: Government is institutionalizing customs enforcement and export/import declaration verification under the Director General of Commerce to satisfy international compliance standards.