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Child 'Slave' Laborers Fall Into the Gap

Kids seen making Gap garments in New Delhi sweatshop

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2007 5:14 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Ten-year-olds were found stitching Gap apparel in a filthy New Delhi sweatshop, some without pay, in an investigation by the Guardian. The kids interviewed by the paper reported long hours of unpaid work, threats and beatings. Serial numbers on the beaded blouses they were working on were ID'd by the Gap, which pulled the items from shelves and launched a probe, the Guardian reports.

Critics have routinely slammed the Gap for outsourcing to India, the world’s child labor capital—and the Gap has paid attention, cutting contracts with more than 150 suppliers since 2004. The company calls today's allegations "deeply unsettling" and adds, "We firmly believe that under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments.”

Buyers brave the rain to shop at the Gap in this undated photo. A report claims that kids as young as 10 have been seen stitching Gap apparel in a New Delhi sweatshop, some without pay and claiming violence.
Buyers brave the rain to shop at the Gap in this undated photo. A report claims that kids as young as 10 have been seen stitching Gap apparel in a New Delhi sweatshop, some without pay and claiming violence.   (Getty Images)
A customer leaves the Gap store in San Francisco, in 2007. A report claims that kids as young as 10 have been seen stitching Gap apparel in a New Delhi sweatshop, some without pay and claiming violence. (AP photo)
A customer leaves the Gap store in San Francisco, in 2007. A report claims that kids as young as 10 have been seen stitching Gap apparel in a New Delhi sweatshop, some without pay and claiming violence....   (Associated Press)
A customer shops at a Gap store in Palo Alto, Calif., in this May 23, 2007 file photo.
A customer shops at a Gap store in Palo Alto, Calif., in this May 23, 2007 file photo.   (Associated Press)
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Sweatshop revelations hurt Gap's squeaky-clean reputation
Guardian (UK)

Child worker: kids beaten with pipe if they cried, didn't work hard enough
Associated Press

 
United Nations • San Francisco • India • Europe • United States • children • Christmas • The Gap • New Delhi • Gap Kids • retail stores • sweatshop

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