Joint Forced Labor Working Group

Listen

The Joint Forced Labor Working Group (JFLWG) is a public-private partnership led by the Office on Trafficking in Persons and Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider. The JFLWG develops tools and resources to assist the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector mitigate the risk of and remediate forced labor and related exploitation in their supply chains, including purchased goods and services.

A supply line showing different kinds of medical supplies.

Resources Produced by the JFLWG

Forced Labor Risk in Supply Chains: Considerations for the Healthcare and Public Health Sector (PDF)

Get Involved

For information or to get involved, email the Office on Trafficking in Persons at EndTrafficking@acf.hhs.gov.

Meeting agendas for the JFLWG are available at Healthcare and Public Health Sector Working Groups .

Resources Informed by the JFLWG

Infographic: Considerations for the Health Sector on Forced Labor Risk in Supply Chains (PDF) (October 2024)
Association for Health Care Resource and Materials Management: Mitigating Human Trafficking Risks in the Health Care Supply Chain (August 2023)
SOAR for Procurement Professionals in Healthcare Systems (August 2023)
Information Memo: Federal Cases Involving Forced Labor of Health Professionals (February 2023)
Information Memo: Federal Statutory and Regulatory Framework on Forced Labor in Healthcare and Public Health Supply Chains (September 2022)

Background & Authorities

The Healthcare and Public Health Sector Critical Infrastructure Protection Partnership stood up the JFLWG in early 2023 in response to administrative priorities. Relevant priorities, objectives, and commitments may be found in these plans and strategies:

National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking

National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (PDF) — Priority Action 4.4.2: Provide information to the private sector on the threat of human trafficking (including impact on health sector procurement) to better identify human trafficking facilitators and victims.

National Strategy for a Resilient Public Health Supply Chain

National Strategy for a Resilient Public Health Supply Chain (PDF) — Objective 1.4: Achieve ethical, sustainable sourcing that includes high standards on labor and environment, while combatting unfair trade. Sub-objectives include promoting adoption and enforcement of ethical production and trade standards to mitigate risks caused by forced labor in the public health supply chain and ensuring equitable labor conditions by promoting best practices and U.S. adherence to child labor and forced labor laws and regulations in supply chains.

National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct — Procurement Commitments: HHS will work with industry partners, civil society, unions, individuals with lived experience, and other subject matter experts to develop and make available a suite of sector-specific tools, including online training, recommendations, model policies, and a resource portal, to prevent forced labor, human trafficking, and related practices in the supply chains (including purchased services) of U.S. health systems and public health institutions.