You can now add to your online cart knowing that you're not adding to the global problem of child labor.
A recently-launched internet plug-in called aVOID blocks out items produced by brands known to employ child laborers. The software uses data gathered from users and the advocacy group Active Against Child Labor and hit 1 million products (and counting) for consumers to avoid in its first week.
The plug-in, which scours brands sold on Asos, Yoox, Amazon, Target, Macys, Zalando, Google Shopping, Frontlineshop and Otto, has arrived at a crucial moment.
Across the globe, an estimated 215 million children under the age of 15 are forced to work in sweatshops, deprived of education and are often subjected to physical and emotional abuse, according to the International Labour Organization. Though big-name companies have come under fire through the years, the practice of exploiting young workers still exists.
On World Day Against Child Labor in July, police raids led to the rounding up of 26 youth who had been forced to work under inhumane conditions in New Delhi, according to the Associated Press, and 50,000 children in India's capital alone are believed to be working in factories. Some were working with acid and metal, others were embroidering women's clothes.
"My employer had once burnt my hands for refusing to work," Divya, a former child laborer told Time of India. "No child should be forced into labour and anyone doing so should be punished."
For more information on how you can help fight child labor, view the above video, and visit aVOID Plug-in's website.
Click through the slideshow to see photos of child workers across the globe.
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