Anti-Slavery

Research from Anti-Slavery International has found that top UK high street brands are selling clothing made by girls in slavery in Southern India.

The research uncovered that young, unmarried girls and women from lower classed families  are forced to work in the spinning mills and garment factories of five Indian clothing manufacturers that supply major western clothing retail brands. Export data was found which confirmed that dozens of major western brands had purchased garments from these manufacturers.


The workers are cheated into slavery. Parents agree to three year contracts for their daughters to work on the assumption they will receive their promised pay and the amount that they receive upon finishing their contract. The final bonus is used against the workers to prevent them demanding better working conditions or leaving.


The owners of the factories go against local customs, forcing the confinement of the women to hostels as a way of keeping them 'safe'
The workers are allowed a weekly five minute phone call to family which is monitored by security staff. If parents visit, they can only speak to their daughter under the watch of a security guard like in a prison. Apart from this, no other outside communication is allowed.
In most of the mills, there is no weekend breaks and if there is a day off, the women have to stay in the factory or mill compound. In some of the mills and factories, workers can have up to six days leave but have to work an extra month to complete their contract for each additional day they take off.

Many of the workers suffer poor health from poor food diets, poor hygiene and the hazards associated with working with cotton. Many workers get TB or ill from cotton in their lungs, some die from this lack of health care.

Workers are often not routinely paid, in one mill the workers were promised the equivalent of £52 a month for 48 hour weeks but only get £24 a month for 76 hour weeks.
Other factory workers are forced to work 12 hours Monday to Friday and 16 hours on Saturday to be allowed Sunday off.

Reference:http://www.antislavery.org/english/what_we_do/programme_and_advocacy_work/slavery_on_the_high_street.aspx