Syrian children refugees have been making clothes for international brands, according to undercover investigation by BBC Panorama.
Panorama investigated factories in Turkey and found children illegally working for international brands such as Marks and Spencer, Zara, and Mango jeans.
These international brands however denied and reiterated that they do not tolerate the exploitation of refugees especially children.
Marks and Spencer added they didn’t find any single Syrian refugee working in its supply chain in Turkey.
However, Panorama found seven Syrian children working in one of the said retailer’s main factories. The refugee often earns little than a pound an hour, sew to survive. They were usually recruited through a middleman who paid cash on the streets.
The youngest worker was 15 years old and he is required to work more than 12 hours a day ironing clothes before they were shipped.
One of the refugees told BBC Panorama they were treated poorly at the factory; he also added, “If anything happens to a Syrian, they will throw him away like a piece of cloth.”
M&S spokesperson said, “Ethical trading is fundamental to M&S. All of our suppliers are contractually required to comply with our Global Sourcing Principles, which cover what we expect and require of them and their treatment of workers.”
“We do not tolerate such breaches of these principles and we will do all we can to ensure that this does not happen again,” he added.
Danielle McMullan, from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said, “It’s not enough to say we didn’t know about this, it’s not our fault.”
“They have a responsibility to monitor and to understand where their clothes are being made and what conditions they are being made in,” he added.
12 hours of work for a pound
Most international brands now manufacture clothes in Turkey because of it’s prime location to Europe. Factories in Turkey allow retailers to get new designs into shops more quickly.
However, concerns are growing about exploitation of workers, especially children, after three million Syrian refugees entered Turkey.
“They speak of pitiful wages and terrible working conditions. They know they are being exploited but they know they can do nothing about it,” according to Panorama reporter Darragh Macintyre.
Panorama’s team saw several Syrian children working hard in one workshop in Istanbul. They also saw a sample product for Asos.
Asos, online retailer said all its clothes were made in the factory. However, after their inspection, they found 11 Syrian adults and 3 Syrian children under 16 at work.
Asos said they will financially support these children so they can return to school. Further, the adult refugees will be paid minimum wage until they found legal work. An Asos spokesperson said, “We have implemented these remediation programmes despite the fact that this factory has nothing to do with Asos.”
The investigation also found refugees working 12 hours a day in a factory making Mango and Zara clothes. For this they are paid a pound each.
No basic protection for hazardous work
Most of the refugee workers don’t have basic protection such as face masks. They spray hazardous chemicals to bleach the jeans hence they are at risk.
Inditex, Zara’s parent company said its factory inspection is a “highly effective way of monitoring and improving conditions”. They already found significant non-compliance audit in June and gave the factory an ultimatum to make necessary improvements until December.
Panorama also found another Istanbul factory with Syrian refugees at work alongside Turkish children as young as 10.
The owner of the factory showed the investigating team they have been working for Next. He also showed them a set of pyjamas.
However, Next denies working with the factory. They pyjamas were circulated as a sample and were actually made by another supplier.
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