NEW YORK - Children’s pyjamas and baby sleepers sold by wholesaler Costco - believed to have been made with forced labour by ethnic minority groups held at an internment camp in China - were reportedly among imports recently blocked by US officials over slavery fears.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials recently imposed rare detention orders on goods imported from an unprecedented five countries in one day based on allegations that they were suspected to have been produced by children or adults subjected to forced labor.
US officials have not released any information about the companies importing the goods but the Associated Press (AP) news agency said it had tracked items to several buyers, including Costco and the US subsidiary of Ansell, an Australian protective gloves manufacturer. Both companies said they were not aware that their products were being made with forced labor.
