Many of you walk into the shops and aimlessly browse the the racks and racks of clothing, and just finding the right shirt can be daunting enough with out trying to wonder what pieces where made by children, and which are slave free. And the truth is that you really can't, for slavery runs deeper than the hands that where forced to sew your shirt. And the truth is you really shouldn't have to be that educated of a consumer. But as the world of slavery seems to only spread, if you want to be a slave free consumer, then you have to do your homework…and even then don't have a 100% guarantee that you clothing purchases will be slave free. The roots of slavery in clothing run deep…they run into the cotton fields, they run into the very core of poverty.
In recent new Gap was once again in the spotlight over allegations of child labor, after a factor in India was found to be using child labor to produce one of Gap Kid's clothing items. Children as young as 10 years old, where found embordering clothing for the companies children's line. Gap's corporate office issued the following statement, after they where thrust into the media spotlight. Gap claims to have no prior knowledge of the use of children in the production of their clothing, and as soon as the child workers where discovered, the company quickly pulled production.
Child labor, including child slavery, is nothing new in India and the road to abolish it is a long one. “Everyone knows factories in Shahpur Jat use child labor ‚ it's an open secret,” says Puja Sahu, owner of a fashion boutique in the area where the the sweatshop producing the items for Gap was found (GAP Caught Using Child Labor To Produce GAP Kids Clothing).
Anti-Sweatshop Groups Call on Gap to Provide Immediate Compensation to Child Workers and Address Root Problems in Industry, claiming that Gap's actions are not enough, and that the companies failure to prevent the incident only highlights the need for more regulations and standards. The desire for cheap clothing is nothing new, and as long as we desire low prices, we risk using slave and child labor. Critics and activists are not getting outraged over the exporting of production by companies like Gap, but the failure to ensure and monitor that fair labor standards are used overseas by Western companies. It is an undeniable outrage that children can be found producing clothing for any major clothing or retail brand, and substantial efforts must be made to ensure incidents like this do not happen again. However we must look deep then in the factories, we must look at the root causes of child and slave labor, especially poverty.
Links:
Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Youth Rules (US Department of Labor)
Child Labor Coalition
Free the Children
Embassy of India – Child Labor Information
Global March
Human Rights Watch
Child Labor and the Global Village
Sweat Free Communities
ILRF
