At Fashion Week, Some Brands Still Use Cotton Picked with Forced Child Labor

In the midst of New York Fashion Week, 60 of the world's leading apparel companies and brands, as well as the American Apparel and Footwear Association which includes 800 members, have signed a pledge to not knowingly source cotton harvest by forced child labor in Uzbekistan. The pledge, endorsed by companies from Wal-Mart to high-end fashion leaders like Nordstrom's and Gucci, shows the growing concern among some of the largest companies about the egregious labor rights abuses in this major cotton exporting nation. Despite widespread industry condemnation, some companies like Aeropostale, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Toys R Us have remained silent.

The pledge states in part: "We are stating our firm opposition to the use of forced child labor in the harvest of Uzbek cotton. We commit to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton for the manufacturing of any of our products until the Government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor in its cotton sector. Until the elimination of this practice is independently verified by the International Labor Organization, we will maintain this pledge."

The announcement garnered support from the Responsible Sourcing Network whose director, Patricia Jurewicz, stated, "I commend these companies for making this public commitment and sending a message about sourcing all aspects of their products ethically."

The pledge comes at a critical moment as young people are being removed from schools and forced to pick cotton right now as the harvest season begins in Uzbekistan. Additionally, media and public attention to the abuses in Uzbekistan recently due to the fact that a fashion show featuring a collection by the dictator of Uzbekistan's daughter, Gulnara Karimova, was  cancelled by IMG, one of the organizers of New York Fashion Week, due to her connection to the human rights abuses in Uzbekistan. The International Labor Rights Forum and the American Federation of Teachers are planning a rally to oppose forced child labor in cotton this Thursday at New York Fashion Week.

With all of the scrutiny on the forced labor of children in Uzbekistan, several companies continue to remain silent about these abuses. You can take action on Change.org to tell Aeropostale, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Toys R Us to stop lagging behind their competitors and to start taking action to stop exploitation in cotton.

Photo credit: Martin LaBar