Trump announces double digit tariffs on 60 countries over forced labour concerns

US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs of up to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries on Thursday, replacing temporary levies that expire on Friday after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier trade measures. The White House said the duties target countries that have failed to curb imports made with forced labour. 'We've gone on record for years now advocating for import bans, not as a magic bullet, it's not a silver bullet, but as a potentially effective tool in combating forced labour across the globe,' said Martina Vandenberg, founder and president of The Human Trafficking Legal Center. 'It's possible to be extremely critical of tariffs, as we are, and to be very concerned about blanket tariffs used as bludgeons against countries,' she said. 'And yet I think it's undeniable that there is a significant response in terms of the adoption of import bans.' 'Our concern is that the import bans will be thin slips of paper with no enforcement,' she said. 'Countries need time to build import ban mechanisms that are meaningful and enforceable.'