The Gap...like a phoenix

Like a phoenix, Gap is rising from the ashes of using child labor. In The Guardian today, Gap is looking to create a label designation on their products stating: "child labor free." To most of us, I think this would come as a big no-brainer. I for one, certainly don't think that any of the clothes that I own were created at the hands of children sold into slavery. However, even proponents think this is a bold move. Why? Because, if they are found to have used child labor they could be sued. Really?! So...if you use child labor and you don't have a "child labor free" tag, then it's hunky dory? Really?! So, this really does seem like a good step forward for Gap.

However, there are still some issues.

The first is what happened to the the child labor created Gap smocked girls' shirts? Well, I emailed Gap about this and got a very, very generic response. Sigh. "Jo" the public relations person who sent the letter must be cowering. Anyway, the fact still remains that the clothes should not be destroyed, but I already covered that earlier.

Second, one has to think about the factories themselves. Forget the fact that there are children working in factories (okay, that's a hard one to forget...just put it to the side of your mind for now). What type of factory is it that can have children working in it? Guaranteed, this is a larger issue. It's not like the other adult employees of this (and similar) factories are getting paid minimum wage with full medical and dental, with paid vacations, with 8 hour days including breaks. No. These factories are employing people who have no other (or really few) options. Therefore the factory can pay people crap, expect them to work s**tty hours, fire them at a drop of a hat in a poor work environment.

This thing with Gap is the tip of the ice berg. Good that there will be "child labor free" tags, but like the coffee I drink, shouldn't there be a larger picture addressed, like "free trade" tags??

The Gap's self-imposed sentence misses the mark

On BBC news this morning, Gap reportedly used child labor for a particular girls' smock. Now, in their defense, Gap is strongly against using child labor and is now scrambling to make it up to their customers. They are having emergency meetings to review suppliers' sources, etc. However, the fact is the shirts have been made. What, you say, are they going to do with them? Destroy them, says Gap. Wouldn't it be better to perhaps give them away, to perhaps the very poor children that are being sold into child labor by their families. Or, in addition, give a chunk of cash to help fight famine in same said areas? Well, Gap, hopefully we won't have a repeat offense, but next time, let's not destroy, okay? Give, help: good. Destroy: even at the hands of child labor, still bad.