Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed allegations of widespread forced labor in the People's Republic of China, focusing on: (1) the extent of forced labor in China, including the number of facilities and the number of those detained; and (2) the organization of the forced labor system.

GAO found that: (1) the Department of State currently estimates the number of prisons and labor reform or reeducation facilities and detention centers at about 3,000; (2) about 1.5 million individuals are involved in reform through labor, with 500,000 in prisons and 1 million in reform camps; (3) the use of labor to reform and reeducate criminals and other individuals is a long-standing practice in China; (4) the United States has restricted the import of the products of forced labor from any country since 1890; (5) certain products of forced labor had been imported into the United States from China; and (6) some goods manufactured in Chinese labor reform and reeducation facilities had been exported.