Speaking at the University of Pavia, Italy, on September 25, Neil Kearney, general secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) said that fashion comes at a huge cost to those who produce the goods, resulting in insecurity, harsh treatment, long working hours, low pay and abuse.

Mr Kearney: “Millions of workers in the fashion industry have become little more than slaves. Most are women and most are young, some very young. Armies of children, some as young as four years old, work long hours often only for a meagre ration of food. Many, in countries like India, have been bought for a few euros from their parents or have been kidnapped and then trafficked into slavery far from home.

“A recent survey in India suggests that a quarter of all garment factories are employing under-age labour. Most of the production is for export to Europe. Shame on those fashion houses, fashion brands and fashion retailers who drive this slavery. And shame on those consumers who buy these products without questioning how they were made and how they can be sold so cheaply when so much labour is involved.”

Mr Kearney also said research carried out in Bangladesh suggests conditions for workers there have led to double the number of tuberculosis cases than in people working outside the industry.

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