The use of child labour in the world of Counterfeiting 1 June 2005 Would you stop buying counterfeit goods if you knew that they had been made with the use of child labour or by vulnerable orphans forced to work long hours for a pittance? The reaction of most would be an emphatic no - but proving the case can often be quite difficult. Over the years quite a few stories highlighting the social consequences of counterfeiting have seeped out of China. Tales of factories producing fake Gucci and Burberry bags where workers under the age of 16 are drafted into sweatshops. The children many of whom are orphans or separated from their parents sew and put together goods day and night in the counterfeit factories where many also live in squalor, some sleeping on the rotten wooden floors. The only education they receive are the skills needed for assembly line work and they eat what little they are given which is usually rice. These are the humble foot soldiers of counterfeiting, the young, the vulnerable, the oppressed, and the exploited. Yet their labour fuels a multibillion-dollar trade every year. It’s not just China though where such workers are found - raids carried out by well known luxury goods manufacturers have encountered similar conditions in counterfeiting factories in New York’s Brooklyn suburb. Illegal workers hiding in filthy cellars serving as counterfeiting sweatshops. Sometimes these workers are actually locked in so that they cannot escape even in the event of a fire. Vulnerable illegal workers in Europe and North America provide a perfect target for exploitation not only in counterfeiting sweatshops but also for other activities run by organised crime rings. Some investigators have even testified to having seen children in counterfeiting factories in China who have had their legs broken and improperly reset so that they cannot leave or go out on the streets to play – a terrible indictment on the lengths to which some counterfeit operators are prepared to go. Children with their small hands are often prized by fake watch manufacturers for their ability to assemble tiny watch parts. Of course the broad issue of low cost child labour is a complex one. Many children in different parts of the world have a stark choice between exploitation and starvation. Even well known brand owners such as Nike have found themselves in the dock. In 1996 an American magazine showed a photograph of a young Pakistani boy sewing together a Nike football. The following year a report indicated that workers in Nike contracted factories in Vietnam were exposed to toxic fumes up to 177 times the country’s legal limit. However, since that time Nike and other brand owners have made big strides in trying to ensure that local companies that make its products adhere to acceptable work practices and provide good working conditions for staff. The social cost of counterfeiting is sadly still an under researched area but more evidence is increasingly being collected on this issue. Perhaps in time consumers will be persuaded not to buy counterfeits. But what will become of the children some may ask? There are nevertheless some glimmers of hope. One of these is a charity called the Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations Foundation (see www.confuciusfoundation.org) which was set up to help homeless children many of whom have previously worked in counterfeiting sweatshops. Several of the founders are still today involved in the fight against counterfeiting. Their aim is to take children out of a life in servitude to counterfeiting and give them an education so that they can use their talents to better effect. Such initiatives are to be applauded and help to make a difference in the lives of children who would otherwise have no hope. In the meantime we need to shine more light on the dark side of counterfeiting and in this context the active engagement of the media is vital. Source : Counterfeiting Confidential June 2005