Got a T-Shirt? Chances Are Child Labor Was Involved

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Global-Action/Got-a-T-Shirt-Chances-Are-Child-Labor-Was-Involved




12/04/2014 Tula Connell

Cotton production involves the most child labor and forced labor in the world, according to the 2014 “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs.

Overall, 126 goods are produced annually by child labor and 55 goods produced through forced labor. Most of the goods, like cotton, are found in common items like T-shirts or are among popular foods, such as melons and rice.

The sixth annual report, released this week, added 11 goods produced with children’s labor: garments from Bangladesh; cotton and sugarcane from India; vanilla from Madagascar; fish from Kenya and Yemen; alcoholic beverages, meat, textiles and timber from Cambodia; and palm oil from Malaysia. Electronics from Malaysia made the list for being produced with forced labor.

Sign up to receive AFL-CIO Now blog alerts>> (@ link)

Uzbekistan, listed among countries using forced labor, including children, for cotton production, routinely requires teachers to leave classrooms and work in the country’s annual cotton harvest, according to a report the Uzbek-German Forum issued last month.

FULL story at link. Here is the list: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/pdf/TVPRA_Report2014.pdf

[nichomachus]

1. Got anything? Chances are child labor was involved.

Singling out one company or item obscures the fact that ever since we destroyed unions and started our "off-shoring," almost everything you buy is the product of inhumane labor practices.

Of course, a lot of stuff that comes from the US is the result of inhumane labor practices too.

[Union Scribe]

2. Consumers have choices

Most do, anyway. Most people can shop online and make more responsible buying choices. There are loads of places to get items not produced by exploited labor. No more excuses.

[nichomachus]

3. Yup -- absolutely right. Trouble is

People have been carefully trained to look at price only -- and not cost. I know people -- people who are fairly well off -- who shop at WalMart and buy cheap Chinese shit because they can save a buck.

[Union Scribe]

4. That's true. btw I phrased my reply poorly

Reading it over it came off as accusing you of making excuses when I was thinking of consumer culture in general; sorry about that!

[nichomachus]

5. No problem. I do that myself all the time

[hfojvt]

6. Ha, my t-shirt was made

in Haiti and imported into Mexico by a Mister Gil Dan.

Actually, I did not see Haiti on the list of countries.

I am not sure why it should be a big deal for teachers to participate in the cotton harvest in Uzbekistan. I think that is kinda neat. Isn't that why we don't have school in the summer? So kids can work on the farm during the summer. Is that forced labor, or just another part of their job? Oh, the horror of teachers having to do manual labor.