Slavery on the high street Forced labour in the manufacture of garments for international brands Anti-Slavery International June 2012 Slavery on the High Street 2 Anti-Slavery International 2011 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................... 3 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 4 PART ONE: Manifestations of Slavery in Indian Fabric and Garment Manufacture...........................6 Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2: Child Labour and Slavery in the Garment Workshops of Delhi...................................... 9 Chapter 3: Sumangali – A New Name for the Enslavement of Girls and Young Women................... 14 Chapter 4: Sumangali and the Manufacture of Garments for International Markets....................... 18 PART TWO: Responses................................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 5: Seeking Commitment to Action.................................................................................. 26 Chapter 6: The Role of Government............................................................................................. 31 Chapter 7: Conclusions............................................................................................................... 33 Update: December 2011..............................................................................................................3. 5 Afterword – June 2011................................................................................................................ 39 Appendix 1: Registered attendees and apologies received for the meeting on 13th January 2011 regarding slavery in Indian Garment manufacture..................................................... 41 Appendix 2: : Process of engagement on developing collection action......................................... 42 Appendix 3: : Response from Walmart......................................................................................... 43 Appendix 4: Switcher Code of Practice......................................................................................... 45 Appendix 5: SCM customers ....................................................................................................... 48 Appendix 6: Some of Eastman’s customers ................................................................................. 49 Appendix 7: Switcher and Prem Group’s relationship.................................................................. 52 Appendix 8: Wallis statement of ethical responsibilities.............................................................. 53 Appendix 9: Brandot customers.................................................................................................. 54 Appendix 10: S P Apparels customers......................................................................... ................ 55 Appendix 11: Table showing recent export data link between brands and Indian suppliers ........ 56 Appendix 12: Terms of reference for ETI stakeholder engagement in Tamil Nadu ........ .................. 57 Cover and chapter opening photos: Sumangali workers from a spinning mill in Tamil Nadu Credit: Anti-Slavery International/Dev Gogoi Photographer sourced through Demotix Slavery on the High Street 3 Anti-Slavery International 2011 i o g o G v e D / l a n o i t a n r e t n I y r e v a l S - i t n A Executive Summary This report identifies the use of slavery-like practices Extensive use of child labour 1 was identified by this involved in the manufacture of garments in India for research in the Sangam Vihar and Tughlakabad areas of international markets: the use of forced labour of young Delhi, particularly relating to work on applying sequins, women and girls in the factories of Southern India, beads, embroidery and similar finishes to garments for particularly the spinning mills around Tirupur. This international markets. Despite the existence of report also identifies the routine use of child labour in machinery for many of these finishes this work is garment finishing in Delhi. Details of international generally, but not exclusively, undertaken by adolescent companies whose supply chains appear to be affected boys and young men aged between 10 and 20. by some of these forms of forced labour are given in One of the reasons that child labour is used so chapter four of this report. extensively in this part of the garment industry is because, paradoxically, of the close familial and Research for this report included both field research community relationship between the workshop and, under the auspices of the Ethical Trading Initiative, managers who are contracted to do the work, and the engagement with western brands whose supply chains home villages of the child workers. Hence parents trust were identified as including the forced labour or child these contractors with their children. Children also have labour abuses identified by the field research. In the the advantage of being easily managed and possible to course of the conversations with brands, there was gen - intimidate to undertake extra work if required. Again eral acceptance by the brands that the forced labour of paradoxically any physical assaults by the managers on young women and girls was a major problem in garment the children are not generally viewed seriously by the manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. parents, because of the cultural acceptance of corporal punishment and because the managers belong to their Nevertheless, the reluctance of brands to develop con - own village. Often child labourers are advised by their crete and credible joint response with civil society, and parents to obey their bosses and learn the work. of some brands to acknowledge the risk of forced labour in their Tamil Nadu supply chains, led to a protracted One instance encountered by Anti-Slavery involved research and negotiation process, which delayed publi - young workers sitting on the floor of a basement cation of Anti-Slavery’s findings by a year, from May workshop stitching sequins onto skirts already labelled 2011 to June 2012. for western markets. The young workers explained that the process to complete one skirt took about half an 1 Where a child is working below the minimum legal working age, and/or where the work is hazardous. 2 http://www.paycheck.in/main/officialminimumwages/delhi/minimum-wages-in-delhi-1 drawn on the figures from the Labour Department of the Government of Delhi, February 1, 2011. Slavery on the High Street 4 Anti-Slavery International 2011 hour, for which they were paid Rs 7, or the equivalent of employing and housing Sumangali workers to ensure about 10 pence sterling. In Delhi the legal minimum that children under 14 are not employed. wage for semi-skilled workers is Rs 259 2 per day . To 3. Ensure that the practice of compulsory earn this at the piece rate provided they would have to accommodation within work premises, especially for work almost 18 hours per day. children under 18 is abolished. 4. Ensure that prior information about unannounced The forced labour of women and girls has become checks is not leaked to the factory management and known as the “ Sumangali system”. It affects unmarried establish procedures to identify and punish anyone girls and women aged between 13 and 18 years old who undermining the integrity of the inspection system work on three-year contracts, often in mills that operate through corrupt practices. 24 hours a day, using three shifts. The workers are not 5. Establish, drawing on international best practice, a only required to work any shift but also to carry out watchdog to ensure public servants properly perform unpaid overtime. The girls are confined to the mills, their duties relating to the enforcement of Indian sleeping in hostels, during their contract period and are national law on bonded and child labour, and take rarely, if ever, allowed out during that time. The only punitive action against those who fail to fulfil their visitors they are permitted, just occasionally, are their responsibilities. parents, many of whom regard this as a safe form of employment for their daughters. Businesses The girls are paid a low daily wage but are promised a 1. Establish long-term, multi-stakeholder partnerships lump sum after completing the contract, which many between business and civil society to develop and hope can be used as a dowry. The combination of both manage sustained approaches to establish ethical daily wage and lump sum generally fall well below what supply chains. would be the legal minimum wage they should expect 2. Reform procurement practice to reduce the pressure for a comparable period of work. In practice many do not on costs and lead times that could act as a catalyst receive the final payment, as they leave before the for imposing forced labour practices on poor and completion of their three-year contract, often due to ill vulnerable communities. Businesses must also be health. able to trace the outsourcing of contracts, so the provenance of products can be assured, and sub- The restrictions on freedom of movement and the contractors can be assessed regarding the provision elements of bonded labour associated with the of decent work and how working conditions must be Sumangali system mean that it is a