SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc., a San Francisco-based apparel giant that for years has promoted itself as a socially responsible company, found itself Monday in the middle of a child labor scandal in one of its contract factories, with human rights organizations calling its claim of ignorance “disingenuous.’’
An undercover investigation released Sunday by The Observer, a London newspaper, reported children were found working in an Indian sweatshop producing blouses to be sold in Gap Kids stores in Europe and the U.S.
“As a multibillion-dollar corporation making and selling clothing in the U.S., they are fully responsible for knowing where their supply is coming from,” said Nell Greenberg, communications director at Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based organization that has for years been pressuring Gap to stop closing its U.S. factories in favor of foreign sweatshops.
North Gate News’ numerous attempts to reach Gap officials Monday were channeled to a phone number at Gap North America in New York, where the voice mailbox was full and no messages could be left.
In a statement Sunday, the company denied knowing the factory was producing clothes for Gap and referred to the factory as an “unauthorized facility.” Gap contended it did not contract with the factory — that the vendor Gap contracted to make the blouses subcontracted with this facility in direct violation of its agreement with Gap.
“It’s deeply, deeply disturbing to all of us. So, I feel violated and I feel very, very upset and angry with our vendor and with the subcontractor who made this very, very unwise decision,” said Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America, in an interview with CNN.
But Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Council, said this argument illustrates how overseas outsourcing allows manufacturing giants like Gap and Wal-Mart to tout high labor standards while purchasing from subcontractors who produce cheap products under substandard labor conditions.
“It’s like talking out of two sides of your mouth. On the one hand, you’re saying we love human rights. On the other hand, you’re saying cut prices every single year,” Kernaghan said. “What do they think is going to happen? When push comes to shove, corners get cut and that means subcontracting.”
According to its website, Gap has strict policies relating to the labor standards at factories it contracts with overseas. Among them, factories are barred from the use of forced labor and from employing workers under the age of 14. According to the Observer article, a 10-year-old working at the factory in question said he and other children were sold into labor by their parents.
In recent years, Gap has touted its labor standards, issuing social responsibility report cards and vowing to improve work conditions for its employees overseas. Gap’s Product Red clothing line, introduced in 2006 and sold alongside the company’s regular merchandise, is part of a joint venture with singer Bono to raise funds to fight AIDS.
Kernaghan said Gap’s efforts to portray itself as a socially responsible company are superficial.
“Clearly, Gap’s not searching to find 10- to 13-year-old kids who are held as bonded laborers,” he said. “But Gap contracts around the world, primarily in developing countries where wages are pitifully low, and they’re there for a reason. They can pay almost nothing, and there’s not any law protecting the workers.”
Kernaghan and others said Monday they hope this case will bring to light the dangers of foreign subcontracting, but that they’re skeptical Gap will do anything meaningful to prevent future cases unless the American public reacts.
“The thing that’s paramount in this situation is that the Gap can no longer hide behind their subcontractors,” Greenberg said. “In 2007, it should be a part of the price of doing business that companies make sure the people making their product are protected.”
Kernaghan said the labor advocacy community will be pressuring Gap to make things right with the children involved in this case.
“Gap better not walk away from those kids who are held as slaves,’’ he said. “Gap better buy their freedom, send them to school and repay their families.”
