Netphoria Message Board


Go Back   Netphoria Message Board > Archives > General Chat Archive
Register Netphoria's Amazon.com Link Members List Mark Forums Read

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-29-2007, 09:46 AM   #1
Andrew_Pakula
Fine! I'll go make my own
web site. With Blackjack,
and Hookers... Actually,
forget the web site.
 
Andrew_Pakula's Avatar
 
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 3,820
Default Gap in child labour scandal

Quote:
Gap in child labour scandal

Oct 29, 2007 07:47 AM
Associated Press

NEW DELHI – The Indian children reportedly found making clothes for Gap Inc. should be reunited with their families and compensated by the government, activists said Monday amid a spreading scandal about the use of child labor by the international clothing chain.

The reported discovery of children as young as 10 sewing clothes for clothing retailer Gap Inc. in a New Delhi factory has renewed concerns about child labor in India, but government officials offered no comment Monday.

"The biggest responsibility here lies with the Indian government – they don't develop a way of monitoring" factories, said Bhuwan Ribhu, a lawyer who works with Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save Childhood Movement.

"International companies hire subcontractors and then forget about it. There is no monitoring at all," Ribhu added. "Where the Gap is concerned, at least they've taken a good pro-active stand against the subcontractors.''

Britain's Observer newspaper on Sunday reported that it had found children making clothes with Gap labels in a squalid factory in New Delhi. It quoted the children as saying they were from poor parts of India and had been sold to the sweatshop by their impoverished families. Some said they were not paid for their work.

Gap responded quickly, saying the factory was being run by a subcontractor who was hired in violation of Gap's policies, and none of the products made there will be sold in its stores.

"We appreciate that the media identified this subcontractor, and we acted swiftly in this situation," Gap spokesman Bill Chandler told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments.''

Child labor remains a widespread problem in India, despite the country's economic boom and its growing wealth.

The government has repeatedly tried to ban the use of child workers – in 1986 outlawing them from working in dangerous industries, such as glassmaking, and last year banning them being employed as domestic servants or in restaurants.

But the prohibitions have had only a minimal impact and children's rights activists estimate that 13 million children are still working in India, with many being used in labor-intensive businesses like carpet-weaving and in dangerous industries, such as making fire crackers.

Chandler said Gap requires its suppliers to guarantee that they will not use child labor to produce garments. Gap stopped working with 23 factories last year over violations uncovered by its inspectors.

The San Francisco-based company has 90 full-time inspectors who make unannounced visits around the world to ensure vendors are abiding by Gap's guidelines, he said.
...
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

 
Andrew_Pakula is offline
Old 10-29-2007, 12:06 PM   #2
jczeroman
Registered User
 
jczeroman's Avatar
 
Location: In my house.
Posts: 14,464
Default

So GAP has a financial interest in not allowing child labor, but the government fails to do anything about it?

 
jczeroman is offline
Old 10-29-2007, 03:28 PM   #3
DeviousJ
CORNFROST
 
DeviousJ's Avatar
 
Location: GUREITO DESU YO
Posts: 24,888
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jczeroman
So GAP has a financial interest in not allowing child labor, but the government fails to do anything about it?
More like they have a financial interest in not being seen to allow it

 
DeviousJ is offline
Old 10-30-2007, 12:35 AM   #4
Chuck=Zero
Apocalyptic Poster
 
Chuck=Zero's Avatar
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,147
Default

I love how shocked these big companies act when all of a sudden it's brought to the forefront that they're using child labor, or in the case of those massive toy recalls, sell toys that are coated in lead paint. ABC's World News Tonight did a report about one of those toy companies sending a representative to China so that the company could "see for itself" how the products they sell are being produced. What a bunch of bullshit, a company has no idea how the products they are selling are manufactured? Right.

 
Chuck=Zero is offline
Old 10-30-2007, 04:07 AM   #5
Eric Blair
Apocalyptic Poster
 
Eric Blair's Avatar
 
Location: Let's hang ourselves immediately!
Posts: 2,275
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeviousJ
More like they have a financial interest in not being seen to allow it
Exactly. Having a large base of easily exploitable workers would be extremely conducive to profit. I imagine they would turn a blind eye if they could. I remember a similar scandal about two years ago which involved extremely dangerous machinery as well as child labour. I imagine it would be relatively easy to stamp out child labour, particularly over a two year period. I expect they really have no intention to stop exploitation unless it’s to protect their image. Blaming this on mysterious sub contractors is completely absurd. There is a reason GAP is putting these factories in India in the first place and I suspect it was to actively exploit the lax employment laws.

 
Eric Blair is offline
Old 10-30-2007, 04:48 AM   #6
Professor Fox
Ownz
 
Professor Fox's Avatar
 
Posts: 767
Default

It doesn't surprise me. The GAP is disgusting.

 
Professor Fox is offline
Old 10-30-2007, 11:38 AM   #7
jczeroman
Registered User
 
jczeroman's Avatar
 
Location: In my house.
Posts: 14,464
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeviousJ
More like they have a financial interest in not being seen to allow it
yes yes yes, my point is that the perception that it could be using child labor seemed to do more to get GAP to not use child labor than the Indian government's laws.

 
jczeroman is offline
 


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is On
Google


Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:00 PM.




Smashing Pumpkins, Alternative Music
& General Discussion Message Board and Forums
www.netphoria.org - Copyright © 1998-2022