Today after ask my friend to read my blog entry about my sole came off from my NIKE's training shoes, she told me NOT TO buy NIKE shoes due to child labour. I went to do a search and found this and would like to share with everyone.

No wonder NIKE shoes when sale period always so cheap. Personally I prefer ADIDAS more than NIKE and their shoes more lasting. I will take note to STOP getting NIKE shoes as long as they are still using Child Labour.


Soccer Balls: Inflated with Hot Air?

by Campaign for Labor Rights, July 30-Sept. 10 1997

When the June, 1996 issue of Life magazine carried an article about child labor in Pakistan, Nike knew that it was in trouble. The article's lead photograph showed 12-year-old Tariq hunkered over the hexagonal pieces of a Nike soccer ball which he would spend most of a day stitching together for the grand sum of 60 cents. In a matter of weeks, activists all across Canada and the United States were standing in front of Nike outlets, holding up Tariq's photo.

"It's an ages-old practice," was the blythe defense from Nike's Donna Gibbs, referring to the use of bonded child labor in Pakistan. But, as Max White of Justice: Do It Nike noted, "Nike went into Pakistan, knowing full well that child labor is an ages-old practice there and taking no precautions whatsoever to prevent the use of child labor in the production of its soccer balls. We have to conclude that Nike expected to profit from its Pakistani contractors' known usage of bonded child labor."

You also discovered that Michael Jordan earns more than $30 million for playing basketball and even more for endorsing products.

Michael Jordan's line of Nike sneakers are made by children in Indonesia working for 19 cents an hour.

Estimates by human rights experts are that there are as many as 200 million children under the age of 14 who are working full-time. Because these children are paid little and do not receive an education, they have little chance of breaking the cycle of poverty in which they are caught.
Children are typically paid one-half to one-third what is paid to adults doing comparable work.

The children are often exposed to significant health hazards and subjected to extreme physical, verbal and even sexual abuse. While many children work to add to the family income, others are literally sold into bondage by their parents in return for money or credit. In these countries children are widely employed in restaurants, canteens, garages, tanneries, and brick kilns where they work for up to 15 hours a day, without leave for months together. Those working as household help are just slightly better off.

Children begin work at the age of nine or ten, and enter full-time waged labour after leaving primary school at the age of 12 or 13. Most children work full-time, seven hours per day, and six days a week. In general, children are paid 6,000 to 9,000 Indonesian rupiahs (approximately $3.40 - $5.10) per week.

At the age of 4, Iqbal was sold into bonded labour by his father for $12. For six years he was forced to work 16 hours a day in a carpet factory.
Children are used extensively in the carpet and soccer ball industries because their small hands and nimble fingers enable them to become particularly adept at weaving and stitching. Although Pakistan has put laws in effect to restrict the use of child labour, the government lacks the resources to enforce them. The lack of any federal requirement for compulsory education is also a major factor contributing to the continued use of child labour.

A local store manager says: "How else can we manage if we have to sell our stuff cheap?" (I WILL REMIND MYSELF NOT TO BUY CHEAP SHOES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE USING CHILD LABOUR TO CUT COST)

Information taken from:

http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/discover/educate/temp/tc2g6n4.htm

Pat's Thoughts

If music be the food of love, play on. This is a blog where I share with people about myself and my favourite Singaporean Singer Kelvin Tan Wei Lian. All who are my friends, colleagues and family are welcome to come to my blog and get update here. I am part of Kelvin Tan's FC who is named the Blue Angels since he won PSS1 in 2005

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