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TITLE: China Condemned for Turning Classrooms Into Sweatshops |
AUTHOR: |
ORG: ITGLWF |
DATE: March 15, 2001 |
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In the aftermath of a blast that killed forty-two people, mainly children, at an elementary school in the village of Fanglin in Jiangxi province, south eastern China, the international union representing workers in the garment and footwear industries worldwide has expressed concern at reports that the children were being forced to assemble fireworks to supplement their teachers' meagre incomes. Says Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF): "Forced labour is not new in China, where an estimated eight million people are producing consumer goods from inside the Laogai ("Reform through Work'). But now it seems even classrooms are being converted into sweatshops." Says Kearney: "The government blamed last week's explosion on a lone madman. But relatives of the children who died denied the official version of events. They said the children were busy inserting fuses into firecrackers at the time of the blast, and that some of the dead children were clutching firecrackers when their bodies were recovered". According to one relative, the younger children had to produce about 1,000 pieces a day, and the older kids, the fifth-graders, had to make 10 times that many. The children were not paid, and if they refused to work their families were fined. Some parents said they complained but were ignored. Others said they had no choice but to look the other way if they wanted their kids to receive some kind of education. Many of China's schools are reported to have set up cottage industries of some kind to alleviate their chronic underfunding, which particularly affects rural schools. After the disaster local officials quickly sealed off the village and expelled journalists from the area. In his letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Kearney urged him to put an end to child and forced labour practices, and sought assurances that no shoes or clothes were being produced by children at school. -end- The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation is an International Trade Secretariat bringing together 220 affiliated organisations in 110 countries with a combined membership of 10 million workers. For more information, contact: Neil Kearney, General Secretary at 32/2/512.2606 (office) or 32/475932487 (cell). Laura Carter Assistant to the General Secretary (Policy) International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) 708 3rd Street Nelson BC V1L2R2 Canada Tel/Fax: 1/250/354.2016 Brussels fax: 32/2/706.5423 END |