US retailer GAP had recalled some of its garments which it intended to sell in US and Europe for this Christmas because children were involved in manufacturing these fabric. Yes, the demon of child labor rises again for foreign retailers. The irony is that GAP wanted to use the same fabric for a kids line of clothing.
The hearsay began when British newspaper The Observer quoted that children as young as 10-13 were making clothes for Gap in filthy conditions, in a derelict building in Shahpur Jat, Delhi.
They had been sold to the sweatshop in Delhi by their families. The children, some of who worked for as long as 16 hours a day sewing clothes by hand, said they hailed from Bihar and West Bengal. They added that they were not being paid because their employer said they were still trainees; nor would they be allowed to leave till they could repay the amount for which they were bought from their families.
But this is not the first time that retailers have messed up with labor issues. This has been repeated numerous times. Recently another daily reported Calvin Klein contractors employing child labor in Bangladesh. Nike too had labor problems in China. It is evident that unless and until the media or social activist raise these issues these retail giants don’t seem to be bothered how their fabric is woven as long its cheap!
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