Peer-reviewed article
Putting the Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Act into Perspective
Liesbeth F. H. Enneking ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article examines the Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Act adopted in May 2019, which requires companies to conduct due diligence on child labour in their supply chains. The author places this law within Dutch and international legal frameworks and compares it with the French Duty of Vigilance Law. While the Dutch Act introduces new obligations for companies, it does not expand remedies available to victims of child labour. The analysis also contextualises the Dutch law against emerging EU-level due diligence directives.
Key points
- The CLDD Act introduces a new due diligence obligation in Dutch law and establishes a public law supervisor for enforcement
- The Act does not broaden existing possibilities for access to remedies for victims of child labour
- The Dutch CLDD Act differs in several respects from the 2017 French Duty of Vigilance Law, the only other mandatory due diligence law previously adopted
- The CLDD Act may be overshadowed by the European Parliament's proposal for an ambitious EU due diligence directive
- The Dutch Act's international relevance depends on whether the future EU directive will match the ambition of the current proposal
Limitations
This article is a legal and policy analysis focused on legislative frameworks and does not evaluate the actual effectiveness of the CLDD Act in preventing child labour or its implementation in practice. The document does not provide empirical evidence about whether the due diligence obligations have improved child well-being or outcomes.
Abstract
Putting the Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Act into Perspective An Assessment of the CLDD Act’s Legal and Policy Relevance in the Netherlands and Beyond In May 2019, the Dutch senate adopted a private member’s bill introducing a due diligence obligation for companies bringing goods or services onto the Dutch market with respect to the use of child labour in their supply chains. The aim of this article is to place this Child Labour Due Diligence (CLDD) Act in the national and international legal context and to discuss its relevance for the broader debate on international responsible business conduct (IRBC) in global value chains. The article shows that the CLDD Act introduces a due diligence obligation in this context that is new to Dutch law, as is the public law supervisor that is to be tasked with its enforcement. However, it does nothing to broaden the possibilities for access to remedies for victims of child labour beyond those already in existence. The article also shows that when compared with 2017 the French Duty of Vigilance Law, which is the only other mandatory due diligence law to have been adopted so far, the CLDD Act stands out in several respects. It is overshadowed, however, by the European parliament’s recent adoption of an ambitious outline for a future EU due diligence directive. Nonetheless, in view of the fact that it remains unclear for now whether the future EU directive on this topic will display the same level of ambition as the current proposal, the CLDD Act will remain relevant from an international perspective also for some time to come.