Will you be buying Primark clothing?

[TBH]

Just wondered seeing as they are using kids as slave labour to give us what we want, how many, knowing the facts now will boycott their company?

[MadPict]

Hard to do these days but I try to check the "Made in..." labels of stuff I buy - it's not just Primark, GAP have been guilty of this too...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/may/13/7

And 3 years later -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7066019.stm

How many other High Street names are indirectly employing kids?

[TBH]

Hard to do these days but I try to check the "Made in..." labels of stuff I buy - it's not just Primark, GAP have been guilty of this too...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/may/13/7

How many other High Street names are indirectly employing kids?

Makes me sick that they can deny all knowledge and that is it, no repercussions, no investigation.

[telfordstar]

Think there prices speak to loudly. With the huge rise in fuel, food, gas, electrcity if we can save our pennies on lets face it good quality clothes then so be it. But this is just my opinion. I didnt want to watch the programme as i am a huge fan of primark for clothes and homeware.

[rainbow]

This is a difficult decision to make - I know it is exploitation (especially when child labour is involved), however if we did not buy the clothing the workers would have no job and no wage, so they would starve (there is no welfare state in India, certainly nothing as generous as the welfare state in this country by comparison).

[padfoot]

aww thats rubbish never been to primark but really wanted to go not going now and i dont shop i gap too expensive

[TBH]

This is a difficult decision to make - I know it is exploitation (especially when child labour is involved), however if we did not buy the clothing the workers would have no job and no wage, so they would starve (there is no welfare state in India, certainly nothing as generous as the welfare state in this country by comparison).

What is difficult My friend? You either support Exploitation of childen or you don't?

[tigger2u]

lets get real on this. when you buy anything does anyone give too much thought on where they come from or how its made. Just look around your house and see whats made in China and we know their record on human rights. Especially the electronic equipment, toys, a high volume will have been made there.
Do we blame the person who may be on low income who clothes their children as best as they can on Primark clothing or buys them toys from companies that deal with countries that use cheap labour. I know I can't blame that person.
It's easy to go on the moral high ground when you can afford to buy the best of gear that doesnt exploit someone somewhere in the world and lets be honest is there a company that doesnt try to exploit their workers to get the protuct out as cheap as they can ?

I agree that something as to be done, I don't think anyone will disagree with that, so put pressure on the companies yes, on the shareholders yes, political pressure yes, make them take responsability but you can't judge someone for buying affordable clothes.
Shame on those that judge so easily on people that maybe aren't as well off to be on that moral high ground. There are so many adults & children here in Scotland who are warm in these clothes, that can't afford to be so policical.

Thats my rant over with lol

[Oddquine]

So there has been a PC reaction to the use of child labour to produce Primark clothing.

Will all those who are being holier than thou donate to the upkeep of the families who will not be able to live without the income those children bring in?

The fact that Primark have been forced by the PC brigade to stop the use of factories which use child labour is not going to mean that the adult labour is going to get a wage they can live on...........all it will do is reduce the family income to levels which will mean even more poverty without the wages of the children.

It is about time we in the "enlightened" west remembered how long it took us to become enlightened, and stopped using our expectations to dictate the actions of countries which are just a smidgeon more than third world, and have yet to reach the level of smugness of the "enlightened " west.

On another forum I frequent, someone pointed out that "you may not think it right but some of those children have dependent families who need their pathetic wages if they are going to eat. Poverty in places like India is a very different thing to being `below the poverty line` in this country. So will you go in and buy and benefit from child labour? Or go in and buy and help a child survive? its a Catch-22."



Personally........I'd rather help a child survive...........but that isn't an option now, thanks to the PC brigade.

[changilass]

If there was a primark anywhere near then I would most certainly use it.

[the_count]

I dan't really care what clothes i buy .. as long as i look good in them lol its ok highlighting just one company that uses child labour overseas but what they fail to say is who else does the same thing. All clothing manufacturers try to produce their clothes as cheaply as possible so child labour abroad is, although morally wrong, very often they way the big manufacturers go

[Anne x]

I totally cringed when I watched this having never purchased anything in Primark tongue in cheek (dont think I am a sequin sparkly person or scrimp material person As I need it all ) hate the store and the staff are so rude

but the bit that got me was at the end when contracts were canx so what happens now to all that children and dependant people do they starve and loose there money they all looked so chuffed to be employed and took a pride in there work and were so good at it

So I suppose once again contradiction where is M&S or Debenhams manufactured China maybe and in what conditions

Oddquine you are so right it is a catch 22

excellent programme but one that makes you think

[Cattach]

Just wondered seeing as they are using kids as slave labour to give us what we want, how many, knowing the facts now will boycott their company?

This is a very difficult question and using child labopur should not happen. However, those families involved are now much worse off now with their only source of income disappearing diespie how little it might be. We sgould not just blame the company as surely the government of the country where the child labour is being employed has as big a responsibility in this isuue.

[northener]

It's very easy to identify those responsible. Simply go to any retail outlet that sells these goods and point at the people buying there.

Those who worship the great western god of 'shopping' at ridiculously low prices are those who drive this market - no one else.

.

[padfoot]

What about Gap then? They are not ridiculously low priced, ridiculously high priced possibly and they have been accused of this too.

[Oddquine]

It's very easy to identify those responsible. Simply go to any retail outlet that sells these goods and point at the people buying there.

Those who worship the great western god of 'shopping' at ridiculously low prices are those who drive this market - no one else.

.

Don't talk twaddle. If the goods weren't there they couldn't be bought....so those to blame are the ones who make the profits...........manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers.

[porshiepoo]

Have to say I'll be continuing to use Primark Yes, I know it's child exploitation and yes, it does bother me, however with the cost of living increasing so much nowadays and the fact that clothes last kids a matter of weeks, I'll go wherever has clothes that are cheap and that my kids like!

This sort of subject doesn't just stop at child exploitation by Primark and its ilk. How many of you are aware of the animal fur used in many of our kids toys today? Those poor cats and dogs are skinned alive in China (I've seen exceptionally graphic footage and IMO it's far more disturbing than any sweatshop - not that I've seen on) so that their fur can be used for the entertainment of our kids (among other things).

I'm not suggesting that one outweighs or compensates for the other, I'm just pointing out that Primark and animal skinning are but two of the horrors of todays world, unfortunately there are many many more, they just don't make the headlines.

I have to admit to being more of an animal rights campaigner than human rights! Make of that what you will.

[Angela]

The prices do rather speak for themselves. There's no Primark near me, I've only once been in one, everything was at such a giveaway price so you felt you might as well buy something even if you didn't need it.

India and China are developing economies in much the same way that this country was in the 19th century when working people left the land and moved to the cities. We too used child labour in factories, wee boys were sent up chimneys, even when education was made compulsory it stopped at 13. It took a few brave enlightened souls (or as some would see them, 'do-gooders') to start moving public opinion forward and improve children's lives.

I would be very unhappy to think that I was knowingly buying something made by a child under sweatshop conditions being paid a pittance. I'd find it hard to salve my conscience by telling myself the child's family needed the money. I'm sure they do -in fact they need MORE money to have a decent life.

Do clothes really need to be quite so cheap? They never used to be! Unless we vote with our feet, nothing will change. If we are willing to pay just a little bit more then shops such as Primark have no excuse not to pay their suppliers more....and the suppliers will have no excuse not to pay their workers more.

[TBH]

This is a very difficult question and using child labopur should not happen. However, those families involved are now much worse off now with their only source of income disappearing diespie how little it might be. We sgould not just blame the company as surely the government of the country where the child labour is being employed has as big a responsibility in this isuue.

How about if the companies paid the kids a decent wage in the first place, a 'living' wage and not the pittance which is 5 pence per hour?

[Rheghead]

How about if the companies paid the kids a decent wage in the first place, a 'living' wage and not the pittance which is 5 pence per hour?

Won't 5p go a lot further in India?