Gap Severs Ties

If anyone watched the news this morning or in the past day or so, you may have heard that the British newspaper The Observer has uncovered that the Gap has been utilizing chld labor in a sweatshop in New Delhi. Apparently children as young as ten (or perhaps even younger) have been hand-stitching the items we so arrogantly wear every day for no compensation whatsoever. Now, I knew that the Gap had used sweatshop labor for years, and was considered by some to be one of the worst offenders. According to the article, the Gap has severed ties to this sweatshop, but one can only wonder how long it will be until another scandal is uncovered?

Out of curiosity, I went to their website after seeing the newscast, and I found their opening page and their claims to be so ironic. Photos of attractive little kids and models, smiling, because since it's debut last year, their Project/Product(Red) has contributed $45 million to fund AIDS relief in Africa. It's a twisted Robin Hood story - steal from the poor and give to the poorer, because obviously, unless they have their garments made for free, or less than $1 an item, there would be no way a corporation like the Gap could contribute $45 million to AIDS relief. I shouldn't even say $1 an item, because for all I know, some of these employees could be earning $1 a week. It wouldn't take a lot of $49.50 sweaters to meet that $45 million dollar goal, would it? I mean, if these sweaters are supposedly made so inexpensively.

I just feel that it is a very bold statement for them to make, urging their shoppers to do the "(Red) Thing" by donating their money, when they've admittedly been in effect stealing money, and childhoods from their overseas employees.

There's more to the story than I've been able to mention here, so I recommend that you read it. I will readily admit that I own several shirts from the Gap and stores like it, and I'm not proud of it, but I think it would do us well to be more aware of these things that happen every single day in the world around us.

But that's just my opinion.