Would you buy cheap child-sweatshop made clothes? Poll results/discussion

trejoy

All the shops are at it, why pick on primark.Monsson was caught out and look what they charge for clothes. It`s shoes as well. Some shops just make more profit from unethical trading.
There is the other point that these children have parents who send them to the factories to work!! Also, isn`t the alternative starvation or the sex industry?
This is reality not eutopia. Vote for a government that will pressurise other countries to treat their peoples fairly. oops forgot , its the politicians or their rich mates that own the workshops or the importing companies or the retailers anyway. Guess we`ll have to keep pretending to care then after all, talk is easy.:mad:

sophie131

I'd just like to add my piece to this thread!
I think it's unfair for everything to be blamed on the 'cheap' shops. ( i.e Primark) Primark use the same factories as MANY MANY other places inicluding Topshop, New look etc. So people saying that they won't buy from Primark are just paying more for the sake of it, the factories get paid exactly the same amount no matter what shops mark it up at. At the end of the day if the shops all pulled out of their contracts and moved them a lot of people would die because although their wage isn't great it's all they have.
I wouldn't mind paying an extra 50p a garment or whatever if I knew it was going straight into the peoples pockets who made it. Until everyone's prepared to do this though it won't happen.

Chango38

This is a hard call as child labour to us is never a good thing but we don't live in India and we don't know thier situation however, inevitably we have to shop where we can afford to as it is hard for a lot of us at the moment. Our newspapers sensationalise the figures as well using our money, 60p to us is not a lot for a days work but if they had put the figure in rupees it would have been about 51 rupees. A quote from the internet tell us
"For example In Kerala state a bricklayer gets Rs350 a day wheras in the neighbouring state he gets only Rs100"
so a child is getting half the daily wage of a bricklayer!
Put that back into the newspaper heading and it doesn't sound so bad does it. I don't know what is fair and what isn't in India but I have to shop according to whats in my purse in the UK. But I also take into account how long I'd want to have the garment for before it fell apart as well.

Anastacia

I would just like to further add to the confusion/discussion.

We should all get the chance to live happy, educated lives, with enough food work as an adult etc but we are not all the same and different cultures have differnt ideas of what is acceptable.

My husband went out to work from age 7. He worked fairly long hours in a cake & biscuit factory. His parents were paid for his work. However he was in a country where there was no compulsary education at the time so no guarentee of an education anyway. His father was taken ill and everyone had to work to bring in something. I cant put my heart on my hand and say he loved it but he didn't hate it either. He is sad that he wasn't properly educated and always feels he is still cathcing up, even now, aged 44. He joined the army at 14 (after both parents had died) & loved every moment of it.

Basically there are a whole set of different life rules which apply, but that said, i still dont approve.

ish

These kids have no choice in these countries. There isn't a infrastructure to support poor children, alot of children turn to stealing as a means of getting through life. By working at least they are able to earn some money to feed themselves. Of course in an ideal world its not right that children should be working but in alot of cases in developing countries that is the reality. Its far better for them to work then steal. You might ask that its the parent responsibility but i am sure they are doing their best and for children who have no parents its really unfortunate.

dekidad

I Feel With Todays Financial Strain On Many Families, Stores That Sell These Clothes Are Needed And Will Still Be Used..my 1 Suggestion To Such Stores Would Be To Place A Donation Box At The Checkouts Which Will Go Towards Helping The Various Charities Out In These Countries.. At Least That Way People Who Do Have A View On The Subject But Are Left With No Choice But To Use These Stores Will Feel They Can Do Thier Bit, So Long As The Stores Can Give Thier Word That The Donations Go To The Most Affected And Needy Issues..

Milly1974

I guess I have one major point to make.

A couple of hundred years ago, before Britain was the advanced post-industrial revolution country it has become, we used child labour too. Children worked in mines and factories, in very dangerous jobs. Is it right for us to prevent a third world country from utilising the same techniques we did to advance?

cjmumto2

I will continue to buy Primark, as many people have mentioned it is a different culture and these children need the work. I watched the programme and Gap was mentioned too, so why pay Gap prices when you can buy Primark from the same sweatshop. There were many adults working too. If we didnt outsource then those poor people would starve. It is up to the companies or the country to make sure they are paid better with better working conditions.

I do however buy free range eggs and would rather not eat eggs than eat caged ones but I really cannot afford to buy expensive clothes as well. I am also concerned that fairtrade is not really fairtrade.

emilymusician

I was saddened and appalled to see that 330 people have voted for either A or B (i think it's about 19 %).

There seems to be such a feeling of separation. Out of sight, out of mind. If this were happening to our own kids, to children we know, or even just British children, I have a feeling these people's views would be extremely different. As far as I'm concerned, every human in the world is our brother or sister. These may be chinese kids, or korean kids, they may live the other side of the world, but they are still children; vulnerable children.

Milly1974, I'm afraid I can't agree with you on this one. I can see your point, that children used to get an extremely rough deal in Britain once upon a time - I agree it's important that people don't forget this. But are you really saying here that child exploitation, often in appalling and dangerous conditions, should be funded (or even encouraged?), because children used to be exploited in this country, and so it's only fair that those other countries get their chance to exploit more kids?

I'd also like to add that unlike food or housing, an endless supply of new clothes is not necessary for our survival. I have very little expendible income, but I do not feel that is a reason to say that I have "no choice" other than to shop at primark - I just shop less often for clothes, and when I do, I buy them from charity shops.

I believe that looking to material things (such as lots of clothes etc etc) to make you happy is futile, and that true happiness comes from within.


Peace, love and harmony,
Emily x

killarney

Such as http://www.makesachange.co.uk for ethically produced clothes for babies and kids (they're having a sale too - and free shipping)

http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/ sell gorgeous adult's clothes and brilliant stuff for the home, too.

http://www.naturalcollection.com sell clothes, home stuff and eco stuff.

Although it's more expensive than Primark it's not more expensive than Adams Kids, or M&S, etc. And the point is that their stuff is absolutely ethically produced because these guys go out there to the actual factories or projects and work directly with them to specifically produce clothing properly. It's certified by the fair trade foundation and organic cotton certifiers. The workers get the rights that everyone on this list would demand - yet where they are there are no laws to say that they have to have them, they have to rely on us to provide them. Furthermore, these companies support projects which also pay to educate children, and additional services such as maternity units in places where babies and mothers otherwise regularly die for lack of care.

Most child labour is due to the fact that their parents can't afford to keep the children without the children working. Give the parents a decent wage and the children don't have to work.

Orphaned children are a different matter and frequently they also need work and support. The way to do this is NOT to support companies who subcontract willy nilly and end up with children working in extreme and dangerous conditions for pennies a day (pennies still meaning pennies and one step from starvation), but to again support companies such as those listed above who also run projects to take in these desperate children, feed, clothe and educate them and give them a start in life that actually they deserve.

Interestingly, the clothing I've bought from these guys is just amazing quality. The kids clothing has lasted for 3 babies and has now been passed on still looking nearly new, and still being gorgeously soft, and the adults clothing just lasts and lasts. I don't need throwaway fashion - can't afford it - so buying something which lasts for years seems to make more sense to me.