Child Sweatshop Shame Threatens Gap’s Ethical Image

Western consumers enjoy inexpensive, yet intricate fashions – and don’t pay close attention who might be supplying the bargains. Reputable firms promise to monitor workplaces for any hint of abuse, yet children as young as 10 leave their homes and toil long hours in Indian sweatshops, sewing clothes for popular chains like the Gap. The children receive no pay other than the quick fee that goes to their parents. “Gap's own policy is that if it discovers children being used by contractors to make its clothes that contractor must remove the child from the workplace, provide it with access to schooling and a wage, and guarantee the opportunity of work on reaching a legal working age,” writes Dan McDougall for the Sunday Observer. But investigations conducted by UK journalists and German partners reveal how subcontractors undermine such checks, forcing children to work in unsafe conditions. In response, company executives vow to tighten labor audits and remove all child-made clothes from their shelves. An activist reminds consumers that embroidery, beading or other detailed work offered for a low price typically signals child or slave labor. – YaleGlobal