Gap Kids: New Frontiers in Child Abuse

It was enough to make you vomit all over your new denim jacket. The Gap has been caught using child labor in an Indian sweatshop, and not just child labor -- child slaves. As extensively reported on the news, the children, some as young as 10, were worked 16 hour days, fed bowls of mosquito-covered rice, and forced to sleep on a roof and use over-flowing latrines. Those who slowed down were beaten with rubber pipes and the ones who cried had oily cloths stuffed in their mouths.

But let's try to look at this dispassionately -- not as a human rights issue but as a PR disaster, ranking right up there with the 1982 discovery of cyanide in Tylenol capsules. Think of this as a case study in a corporate Crisis Communication course: How is The Gap handling the problem, and could it do better?

This is not the first time The Gap has been caught using child labor, but CEO Martha Hansen went on the air to state that the situation was "completely unacceptable" and that the company would "act swiftly." Two problems here: One, she failed to detail the actions. It would have been nice, for example, if she had announced that some of the top-producing child slaves would be reassigned to manage Gap outlets in American malls, and that the under-performers would be adopted by Angelina Jolie.

The other, more serious, problem is that she got defensive about child labor. This is the mistake Kathie Lee Gifford made in 1996. When accused of using child labor in Honduras to manufacture her Kathie Lee line of clothing, Gifford broke into tears on TV. Maybe Hansen meant to cover herself by saying that The Gap would not "ever, ever condone any child laborer making our garments" rather than saying the company does not condone child labor itself. We already knew, from the rubber pipes and oily cloths, that The Gap does not condone much from its child laborers.

Hansen underestimated the potential support for a full-throated defense of child labor. More and more American children are tried and punished as adults today. And the ubiquitous conservative pundit William Kristol will surely be enthusiastic, considering his recent -- though possibly facetious-- statement that "whenever I hear anything described as a heartless assault on our children, I tend to think it's a good idea."

The core of the argument, though, is that anyone who opposes child labor has not witnessed its opposite, which is child unemployment and idleness.

Hansen claims to be a mother herself, but I wonder how often she has returned home from a hard day in the C-suites to find her unemployed offspring Magic Marker-ing the walls and crushing the Froot Loops into the carpet. This is what jobless children do: They rub Crazy Glue into their siblings' hair; they spill apple juice onto your keyboard. Believe me, I see this kind of wantonly destructive behavior every day. Vandalism is a way of life for unemployed children, and they do not know the meaning of remorse.

In fact, corporate America should go further and make a strong statement against the sickening culture of dependency that has grown up around childhood. Why are jobless children so criminally inclined? Because they know that whatever damage they inflict, the Froot Loops will just keep coming. The Gap should portray its child-staffed factories as part of a far-seeing welfare-to-work program, which will eventually be extended to American children as well.

To appeal to American parents, our own child factories should be run more like Montessori schools, where the children are already encouraged to regard every one of their demented activities as "work." If they're going to pile up blocks and knock them down all day, then why not sew on buttons and bring home a little cash? But even American families will have to brace themselves for the inevitable cost cutting measures. First the cookies and milk may have to go, then, as in India, the toilets and beds. Wal-Mart has already pioneered the price-cutting defense of human rights abuses, and The Gap should follow suit.

The company can of course expect some lingering opposition. Just as there are vegetarians and pacifists, there will always be some men, for example, who would rather wear skirts than blue jeans impregnated with the excrement and tears of 10-year-olds. Well, let them shop at American Apparel or some other "sweat-free" vendor, and if they can't find anything there, let them wear dhotis. In a nation that cannot bring itself to extend child health insurance (SCHIP) to all children in need, child-made clothes make a fine fashion statement. And why not accessorize your denim jacket with a scarf derived from one of those oily cloths stuffed in weeping workers' mouths?

Comments

[Mariel]

As long as Americans think mall-ratting is the best fun there is, this will go on. It sickens me to see teens using the malls as their "living rooms", meeting friends there after school rather than going home, doing homework, getting some outdoor exercises, or helping their parents. Teens have enough money to buy cheap shoddy "in" clothing and accessories. They are the chief clients of the slave factories, even if they don't know it. So tell THEM!

I remember when I was a teen I had only a few clothes, but most of them were good quality and made in the U.S., Canada, or Europe.

Now I can't afford new clothes of any kind, but I especially have decided not to even buy a t-shirt made in China. I will find whatever I buy, whatever few things, with a made in USA label or a European label (such as Hungary, Czech, and other countries which do make American clothing.). The Hungarians and Czechs may abuse workers too, but at least I haven't heard about it yet.

[WoodyW]

It's been my belief for some time that the source of all evil is abuse of power, whether it's leaders who lie to their followers, parents who abuse and/or exploit their children, bosses who abuse and/or exploit their workers, or husbands and wives who abuse and/or exploit their spouses. Though it seems to be the nature of the human animal to take advantage where possible, we've seen that the exceptions frequently exist. But it's evident that only clear and visible examples of humane behavior will bring about a growth in the number of those who will work for change. Set that example and point to others who are setting the example. When my friends and I despair of "making a difference," we remind each other of the old story of a man throwing starfish who had been washed onto the sand where they would surely die back into the sea as he walked along the beach. A passer-by said, "Look at the thousands of starfish sure to die here. You can't possible make a difference by throwing these back." As he threw another starfish back into the sea, the man said, "It made a difference to that one. And that one."

[Compassion]

If everyone reading this post were to send GAP (and Jones New York, and Ralph Lauren, and Anne Klein) a notice that they would be opting out of retail fashion until the industry cleaned up its act, these practices would disappear.

There are plenty of cardigans and khaki's available at your local thrift store and consignment shop to keep you clad for a good long while. Trade clothes with a friend. We all have way too much in our closets already! A broadscale boycott of retail clothing outlets is what will be necessary to remove this stain from the social fabric.

[trinatocco]

GAP needs to release a clear corrective action plan to deal with this. Also the global apparel industry needs to go from voluntary monitoring to legal enforced regulations that have impact on current sourcing practices. This is a problem that is far deeper than the GAP and its going to first take companies like Wal-Mart that have so much sourcing around the world to fundamentally change the way they do business. Its going to take education on the part of the American consumer in that sweatshops will continue because we are not outraged enough to demand a change. Its going to take policymakers standing out to corporate lobbyists when it comes to free trade deals. Finally if you are interested in more specifics, you can see the statement released by the International Labor Rights Forum and SweatFree Communities regarding what GAP and the rest of the industry need to do: http://www.sweatfree.org/release_SFC-10-31-07

[Susanholmes]

*sigh*

What will those crazy capitalists think of next?

[yourstruly]

Someone gave me a Gap gift certificate last Christmas, and I have never found anything I wanted to buy with it. Every garment looks shoddy, nothing like the kinds of clothes I bought there in the nineties. Now I know why—they are made by children!

[Metacortex]

GAP? Hmmm. What an appropriate name.

[PA]

Child labor is as old and vicious as the other oldest profession. Where ever the strong take advantage of the weak, children will be ground under their heels.

Unfortunately, the children are not there working so they can go buy the latest CD. Those children are hungry and alone, or even depended on by siblings and grandparents to send home wages.

When will the world wake up to the fact that the children are our most precious resource. The children today will be the world leaders tomorrow. Let us hope somewhere along the way, they learn some kindness and peace. When we are too old to run this world, they will be in charge. What we do WILL come back on us. Collectively.

[GJKBEAR]

Reminds me of ZOOLANDER and the Will Farrell character Mogatu. It all depends on the framing of your statements....:The age old right of children to work is under assault."
Seems to me, the fashion industry period has much to answer for. Worse still are the people who will continue to buy at the GAP for the prestige or even Nike with all of it's abuses will have a new shoe for the Native American or you buy coffee at Starbucks, or we still shop at Wal Mart even after hearing about their abuses in human labor. We who are consumers are at fault for not boycotting or continuing to buy from those companies - even when we know that human rights abuses & children's rights abuses abound there. If we as consumers would just start sending letters and not shopping at places where we know these things occur and affect these companies bottom lines - changes would occur.
At least these companies are not really training male models to become assassins.......

[vox populi]

Really, you should expand this theme into a Swiftian, alternate-reality blog... I am sure people on the right's right would endorse it completely.

But child slavery is what we get when we let the amoral, greasy-haired, coke-snorting, Wall Street lawyers write trade laws to the satisfaction of their anti-national corporations.

There's basically nothing the Gap can do to make me buy anything from them ever again, and that includes instituting the toughest enforcement regime ever or anything else they cook up.

The best way to rectify this situation is to give the Gap the death penalty. The Gap has to die for its crimes as an example to other corporations. Conservatives will appreciate that logic. That and only that will send the message we need to send to the amphetamine addicted, quarterly number-pumping, stock-backdating, outsourcing, toxic waste dumping, child slavery supporting, degenerates who run this companies.

[rijomi]

Neither cekebs or consumers really care. Celebs just want the money and consumers the clothes. Only when caught is there shock and outrage just like when a politician is outed.
It's a game to most not reality. Come on now when you see an article of clothing coming from Bangladesh or any of the new exploited frontiers do you expect to see the union made label. Hell, your lucky they got the sweat and blood out before it got to you.

[buske]

I never bought anything from The Gap. Maybe that was because I thought the clothes there looked a bit odd or something.

[buske]

Two things:

1. All the other cheap clothes stores probably have used children in their sweatshops from time to time. The Gap just had some "bad luck" this time.

2. Obviously it is evil and wrong to use children in poor countries to produce your stuff. However, it is also wrong and evil to have poor adults or adult slaves produce your stuff. Now, the whole idea of globalization and free trade is to move production to the poorest countries that can't defend themselves and to use those countries' poor labor force. In fact, inequalities among countries is a prerequisite for globalization and free trade. A solution to this problem is to have most nations to agree on fair trade and to respect other nations' sovereignty. Also, speculation on other countries' currencies should be ended which would also increase lenders' willingness to invest in useful, productive long-term projects in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.

[Macready]

Great blog . . . the Gap has to mend its ways and Martha Hanson's response didn't go far enough. This factory has had problems before . . . so what has GAP been doing about it . . . it sounds very much like they have been content to observe the status quo in order to have large profit margins . . . it's time to boycott the GAP until they can prove they have ended abuse towards their workers.

[JennyP]

But, Ms. Ehrenreich, your hero Ralph Nader profits from the slave laboring of children in third world sweatshops too.. he owns stock in The Gap.

Then again though, you were one of those who rationalized the selection of George W. Bush in 2000. Aren't those poor children in India just more of the victims of your moral relativism? Also, you are silent on the poverty faced by poor American children, when American families can not earn American wage standards, they can't keep a roof over their childrens heads. Nor can they feed them adequately, nor can they afford healthy foods. Not all the SCHIP in the world makes up for that.. does it..

How much longer do you think your scorched earth agenda will take before we return to the days when poor American children are forced to work to help support their families, instead of going to school?

You must be so proud of yourself...