Gap accused of using Indian children as 'slaves'
It's not looking great for Gap. The American chain's clean-cut basics and skinny jeans may be all the rage at the moment, but I've noticed its name crop up in quite a lot of worker-abuse stories recently, and coming from a brand that was accepted by the Ethical Trading Initiative, this ain't good news. And unlike well-known culprit Primark, Gap clothing isn't even that cheap!
Gap was caught red-handed in a recent swoop on a textile factory where children as young as ten were found to be working in 'conditions close to slavery' under the threat of beatings.
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The Observer reported this weekend that Gap denied any knowledge of child labour, and had vowed to re-enforce an ethical code of conduct it brought in three years ago.
While it seems plausible that Gap head office were not aware of the conditions and do not endorse the use of sweatshop labour, it seems inevitable that this sort of ugly scenario will repeat for as long as Western companies insist on importing cheaply-made goods. According to one estimate, more than 20 per cent of India's economy is dependent on children, so is it any surprise some of them are making our clothes?
