This is a bit of sad news especially for India and all those who are against child labor. Recognized as ‘the child labor capital of the world’, it is believed that as many as 80 million children are working in India. And what’s more startling is that more than 20 percent of the economy is dependent on the labor of children. And all this happening in spite of the fact that child labor is officially illegal there. All this has come up here because the fame multi-billion dollar global fashion company Gap has recently admitted that it may have unknowingly used child labor in the production of a line of children’s clothing in India. ABC News obtained some of the video material he used to substantiate his story. It shows children who appeared to be between the ages of 10 and 13, stitching embroidered shirts in a crowded, dimly lit work-room. The video clearly shows a Gap label on the back of each garment. The reporter, Dan McDougall, said the children were working without pay as virtual slaves in filthy conditions, with a single, backed-up latrine and bowls of rice covered with flies. They slept on the roof, he said. However, Gap Inc. was quick to order a full investigation into the allegations and to re-iterate its policy never to use child labor in the production of its clothes. And as Gap continues its own investigation, it has already ensured that the garments made by the children from Bihar, India, will never be sold in its stores. The order has been pulled, and the clothes destroyed. Good stand!
Like many international companies, Gap Inc farms out huge production orders to subcontractors in the developing world, where child labor is virtually endemic. The company takes pride in its record of ethical out-sourcing and has almost 100 inspectors monitoring 2,700 factories worldwide, it says. But in India, one of its suppliers evidently broke the rules.
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