imports of goods made by forced or indentured child labourers may be banned if a bill is passed in us. The bill sponsors say that the trade ban will affect the imports of rugs and carpets from Pakistan and India, where children as young as four years old are sold into bondage. Human rights organisations estimate that south Asia has more than 15 million indentured child labourers. These organisations allege that children who are sold into bondage by their parents often work for over a decade or more to buy their freedom. "This is extremely important as a moral issue," said Representative Bernard Sanders who introduced the legislation.

However, experts on child labour question how effective the measure will be, suggesting that children will be exploited as long as poverty remains worldwide.It is also not clear how the us will determine that child labour has been used in the manufacture of a product.