According to a report released by a rights group located in the United States, some of the most well-known international clothing brands purchased cotton that was grown in Indian farms that use child slavery and bonded servitude.
According to the New York-based non-profit, Transparentem’s 2022–2023 study of working conditions on 90 cotton farms in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh found “widespread use of child labour and illegal adolescent labour.”
The “severe abuses” that Transparentem’s inquiry uncovered “appear to be endemic to the region” and most likely spread to other nearby farms. Additionally, the inspectors discovered “abusive working conditions” and “indicators of forced labour.”
Children under the age of 14 are generally not allowed to work in India, and those between the ages of 14 and 18 are not allowed to engage in dangerous jobs.
Transparentem claims that three Indian businesses purchased the cotton produce from the farms under investigation. They then supplied cotton-based goods to a number of well-known customers, including The Gap, Adidas, and H&M. Transparentem was informed by all three businesses that they were a part of sourcing agreements that made sure their cotton inputs were not associated with forced labour.
