Appeal to Fashion Designer
Sub: Serious concern about fashion Industry and the use of child labour
Dear Sir / Madam
Greetings from Bachpan Bachao Andolan!
14 years old Saimul was working for the last 6 years in one of the raided Zari units. Youngest among 4 siblings, Saimul was trafficked from West Bengal by an agent along with his brother to Delhi. For 6 years he did not meet his parents. For working tirelessly from 9 a.m. in the morning to 1 a.m. past midnight, Saimul’s earning was a paltry Rs.600 a year. The plight of young children slaving in dilapidated ill-lit, ill-ventilated and cramped rooms sewing expensive brocaded zari saris and suits with their fragile hands is not unknown to Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
Over the last year, Bachpan Bachao Andolan has in collaboration with the labour department, police and other NGOs, rescued over 1200 child labourers from the illegal embroidery and zari Sweatshops scattered in New Delhi. We have made safe repatriation and are working hard for follow-up on rehabilitation for these children.
It is most appalling that Zari units which take contracts from fashion houses are involved in exploitation and employment of children, a gross violation of a child’s basic human right, albeit in third parties processes. For an organisation that has for years tried to comply with labour standards and international conventions, this is absolutely deplorable.
There are about 1 lakh child labourers in embroidery and zari sweatshops in Delhi and nearly the same numbers in Mumbai and elsewhere. Rough estimates show that there might be 5000-7000 embroidery units functioning in Delhi, with each unit employing around 25-30 children. Most of the children working in embroidery and zari workshops are trafficked from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The children, who had been rescued through our raid and rescue operations, reported that they got as little as Rs. 20-30 a month and worked for more than 12-14 hours in small crowded rooms with poor lighting and ventilation. As a result many had eye problems/infections and skin allergies.
As architect of the first social labelling initiative “Rugmark” child labour free rugs, Bachpan Bachao Andolan and its partners led the first international consumer awareness campaign, particulary in Europe and USA. The first social labelling on any child labour free product, Rugmark, is a concrete example our strategy in tapping the consumers’ consciousness and in promoting ethical trading practices by corporate and industry. Formation of Rugmark and the subsequent awareness campaign led to the release of thousands of child and bonded labourers from carpet weaving. Now Rugmark is successfully functioning in India, Nepal and Pakistan as well as in Germany, USA, UK and Canada.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan is also part of the office Task Force on Labour by Delhi Government constituting various administrative agencies and civil society organisations, which has been initiated to check child labour (with focus on child labour in embroidery and zari industry), bonded labour and the application of labour laws and conventions in Delhi. On behalf of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, we urge you to take serious note of the menace of child labour and ensure that there is no illegal child labour engaged in promotion of goods and products made by your fashion house .We would also highly recommend you to initiate an initial research and monitoring exercise on this issue to ensure that all goods that are produced by you are “child labour free” goods
We hope and look forward to your prompt and urgent cooperation on the concern of child labour and help Bachpan Bachao Andolan in building a better future for thousands of children engaged in Zari Units of Delhi .
In solidarity,
R S Chaurasia
General Secretary
