WHAT'S NEXT

Tell the Children’s Place to Stop Forced Child Labor in Cotton!
  1. Signatures
    362 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. CEO (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • CEO (Jane Elfers)
      • VP (Jane Singer)
      • Supply Chain Officer (Mark Rose)
  2. Created By
    International Labor Rights Forum
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jul 05, 2011

After hundreds of Change.org members contacted The Children's Place about its policies related to forced child labor in cotton from Uzbekistan, the company has confirmed that it instructs its suppliers not to use Uzbek cotton, joining scores of other companies who have made similar commitments. Jane Singer, Vice President of Investor and Media Relations at The Children's Place commented, "The Children's Place commends the efforts to end forced child labor in Uzbekistan and will continue to do everything we can to support these efforts."

Thanks to the hundreds of people who signed this petition and encourages The Children's Place to be transparent about its efforts to address forced child labor.

 

The government of Uzbekistan continues to remove millions of children across the country from school and force them to pick cotton during the harvest season. While over 70 of the world’s largest apparel brands and retailers have developed policies related to Uzbek cotton, the Children’s Place, one of the biggest children’s clothing retailers in the country has remained silent. The Children’s Place has a policy against using child and forced labor, but it has not publicly addressed the unique state-sponsored practice of forced child labor in Uzbekistan nor has it provided any information about how it ensures that its suppliers do not use Uzbek cotton tainted by these egregious human rights abuses. So far, the Children’s Place has refused to support human rights and speak out against forced child labor in the cotton industry, unlike its top competitors like the Gap and Gymboree. 

Your actions make a difference! In the past, your e-mail actions targeting Abercrombie & Fitch and Gymboree have led these companies to announce policies prohibiting the use of Uzbek cotton. Take action NOW to tell the Children’s Place to respect international labor rights in their cotton sourcing.

 

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Stand Against Forced Child Labor in Uzbekistan's Cotton Industry

Greetings,

Millions of children across Uzbekistan continue to be removed from schools and forced to pick cotton. The widespread use of forced child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry has been well documented and the source of international condemnation.

The unconscionable scale of labor rights violations in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry will continue unless clothing companies speak out against the abuse and take action to make it stop. A large number of the world’s largest apparel brands and retailers, including many of your competitors like the Gap and Gymboree, have developed policies on Uzbek cotton.

While your company’s standards for factories and suppliers prohibit forced and child labor, you have not addressed the specific problem of Uzbekistan’s state policy of forced child labor nor have you provided information about how you ensure that suppliers are complying with your standards and are prohibiting Uzbek cotton in your supply chain.

As a consumer and a concerned citizen, I ask that you take the following actions:
• Issue a public statement condemning forced child labor and violations of labor rights in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry;
• Commit to tracing your global cotton supply chain and instructing suppliers to stop sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan until the government ceases mobilizing children to harvest cotton;
• Provide transparent documentation of your efforts in this area and establish a dialogue with the International Labor Rights Forum;
• Join with other companies and industry associations that are working to ensure that worker rights are protecting in the production of cotton.

As children continue to be forced to pick cotton during harvest season, there is no better time to take action. I look forward to your urgent attention to this critical issue.

[Your name]

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