Many Canadians remain unaware of the involvement of forced child labor in the products they buy, says the non-profit World Vision Canada (WVC).

Child labor saw its first increase in two decades in 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 79 million children engaged in forced labor as of 2022, according to International Labour Organization estimates.

In early June, the government addressed the issue of forced child labor in commercial supply chains and expressed support for Bill S-211, which would require Canadian companies and government departments to examine supply chains with the aim of protecting workers.

"We are finally starting to see some movement," said Catherine DeBon, a young leader at World Vision Canada, to CTV News on Saturday.

"Introduced by Senator (Julie) Miville-Dechêne, (the bill) looks into protecting children's rights and providing information to consumers in Canada."

DeBon says that while most Canadians cannot do much to stop child labor from scratch, many consumers will likely do their part by avoiding purchases from certain companies once legislation forces them to be transparent about their workers.

Nearly 160,000 Canadians have signed World Vision Canada's petition urging the government to require companies to prevent human rights abuses during their operations and publicly report on their progress.

In 2020, the Canadian government banned the import of goods produced by forced labor under customs tariffs.

The new law is expected to require Canadian companies and federal departments to report annually on measures taken to prevent and mitigate risks of using forced labor or child labor by them or in their supply chains.

Michael Messenger, President and CEO of World Vision Canada, said in a statement: "We are encouraged by recent progress made by the Canadian government to advance landmark legislation to help address this issue."

"With child labor increasing for the first time in 20 years due to the global pandemic and other factors, the child labor problem in Canada will continue to grow without bold action to address it.

Canadians need to be able to make fully informed purchasing decisions."

Edited by: Abdelsalam Bin Saleh