A GUEST POST BY ANUP KAPHLE, graduate student, Columbia Journalism School. More guest bloggers welcome: arunvenu[at]gmail.com
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American clothing chain Gap has announced that it would withdraw clothes made using forced child labor in India. The announcement came after the publication of an investigative article by Dan McDougall in the UK-based Observer.
The Observer article starts:
Amitosh concentrates as he pulls the loops of thread through tiny plastic beads and sequins on the toddler's blouse he is making. Dripping with sweat, his hair is thinly coated in dust. In Hindi his name means 'happiness'. The hand-embroidered garment on which his tiny needle is working bears the distinctive logo of international fashion chain Gap. Amitosh is 10.
The article, written after an undercover investigation, includes quotes from very young Indian children who talk about how they got into the business and how they are treated. The article also quotes the U.N. saying that child labor contributes an estimated 20 per cent of India's gross national product.
According to a BBC article, although Gap has claimed that only one item – a girl's smock blouse - was made using child labor it has announced that this particular blouse will now not be available in Gap's 3,000 stores around the world. Gap plans to destroy those blouses instead. The BBC quoted Gap's spokesman:
Dan Henkle, a spokesman for Gap, said: "We were made aware earlier this week that a reporter had found an incident of children working in a factory that was producing for one of our brands, and this is completely unacceptable to us. We have a strict prohibition on child labour, and we are taking this very seriously. This is very upsetting and we intend to investigate thoroughly." <snip>
More from the FAQ section of Gap's corporate website, on child labor practices:
Question:
Do you work with factories that use child labor?Answer: We do not tolerate child labor. It's one of the most serious violations of our Code of Vendor Conduct. To gain and keep our business, vendors must commit to employing factory workers who meet the minimum legal age requirement in that country or the minimum age in our Code, whichever is higher. We are very strict about enforcing this policy.
In the rare instances in which we do find an underage worker, we require that the worker be removed from the factory immediately, given access to schooling, paid an ongoing wage, and guaranteed a job at the factory as soon as he/she reaches the legal minimum working age.
Read McDougall's Observer article: "Child sweatshop shame threatens Gap's ethical image."
[Also see SAJAforum item about similar efforts by Rugmark at child-labor-free carpets.]
Post your comments below.
EARLIER on SAJAforum:
- Another major story by Dan MacDougall that got a lot of attention in Aug. 2007: PARTITION: 60 Years Later, The Refugees at the Other Border
-- Anup Kaphle
