I just watched BBC news special news program which focuses on fashion retail companies and their ethical practices. They went on an expose on Primark, which till now believes in ethical practices when it comes to their apparel wear. Little that i know that this low cost fashion retailer, so famous amongst Londoners thus far would employ child labour in India to do their embroidery. Really changes my perspective of Primark. I, for one is someone who do not believe in having child labour to produce goods. That is why i do not buy GAP clothes. I watched John Pilger’s espose on GAP with great interest previously. GAP exploits kids and workers in Indonesia, paying them only US$1 a day and making them work for like more than 12 hours a day. They have no rest whatsoever. This is not right people. Such expose really makes me realise that companies really exploit people for a profit. This is the evils of capitalisation and globalisation. The disparity of rich/poor is getting greater when we, as consumers continue to vouh for these products. So next time, remember to ask where does your product is made from. Remember, this is your right as a consumer.
In retrospect, when i pondered on the Primark expose again, i began to wonder if these children is being deprived of this ‘opportunity’ to work, will they be worse off. What if, this child labour provides them the liberalisation to partake in this globalisation process and chain. They too have dreams, and for some, partaking in work at an early age may be an avenue for them to reach that dream. If we, people in the developed world begin to cut away from these products, will they then fall by the wayside as now they have nothing to survive. Governments in the developed world always encourage the governements in the developing world to invest in education for the young. But in reality, this is not happening. Many children in the developing do not have such access to these amenities. So what happens to them now? As we, people in the developed can beso swayed to makea decision to boycott,we may inevitably counter the very motivation to help kids and poor people in the developing world.
I am really becoming confused…better donate more money directly to the poor…. but then again, many organisations are exploiting charity also… More next on this.
This is the complex world….sadly.
