India Committee of the Netherlands
+++ In solidarity with the oppressed in India +++


CHILDFRIENDLY SHOES - DOSSIER PRESS RELEASES
2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - <2000
Dec 19, 2017:
New Report Proposes Strategies for Reducing Child Labour in Agra, India: Fair Labor Association and Stop Child Labour Recommend Creation of ‘Child Labour Free Zone’ and More Responsible and Transparent Supply Chains in Leather and Footwear Production (PRESS RELEASE Fair Labor Association/Stop Child Labour):
A new research study from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), iMentor and the Stop Child Labour Coalition (SCL) confirms the substantial prevalence of child labour in footwear production in the city of Agra, one of India’s primary centers of domestic and export production of leather footwear(around 25% of the Indian export of shoes is being produced in in Agra). The research report Children’s Lives at Stake - Working Together to End Child Labour in Agra Footwear Production is being published today.
Mar 15, 2017:
Rights of Indian leather workers systematically violated - Major footwear and garment brands react to serious human rights issues in their leather supply chain and promise collective action (PRESS RELEASE ICN):
Around 2,5 million workers in the Indian leather industry often face unacceptable working conditions that violate their human rights and seriously affect their health. Toxic chemicals used in tanneries often very negatively impact the health of the workers. Less known are the many labour and other human rights issues in the leather industry like wages below the stipulated minimum wage, child labour, the exploitation of home-based workers, the difficulty to organize in trade unions and the discrimination of Dalits (‘outcastes’).
2013
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Dec 2, 2013:
Shoe companies start tackling child labour and labour rights abuses - Report Working on the Right Shoes (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
More than half of the shoe companies have taken significant steps to fight child labour, but there are laggards. This is the conclusion of the Stop Child Labour (SCL) report Working on the Right Shoes which examined 28 Dutch and international footwear companies. The enclosed scorecard explains why Gabor, Lotto Sports, Marks & Spencer, Schoenenreus and Wolky score poorly.
2012
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Dec 13, 2012:
Stop Child Labour welcomes positive steps by shoe companies – much remains to be done (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
After a slow start a year ago at this moment 27 of the 28 companies have finally engaged with Stop Child Labour and provided information on their policies and practices on combating child labour and their CSR policies more generally. Quite a few companies have informed us that they will take additional steps to prevent and combat child labour and/or be more transparent about this. Some have already taken concrete steps to this end. The latter varies from simply publishing the code of conduct on their website, mapping of sub-contractors and improving their audit system to making sure that child labour is eradicated and remediation is in place for working children found.
Oct 24, 2012:
Shoe companies are far from being child labour free : Large-scale child labour at Bejo Sheetal - Nunhems almost child labour free (PRESS RELEASE Stop Child Labour):
In Europe and elsewhere one can still buy shoes made by children. That is the conclusion of the campaign ‘Stop Child labour – School is the best place to work’ on the basis of research in India. Stop Child Labour specifically suspects four companies – Bata, Bugatti, Clarks and Marks & Spencer of making use of child labour in their Indian supply chain.