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Human Rights
Monsoon's internal audit reveals the use of child labour and underpaid workers
The popular high street retailer and pioneer of ethical fashion has uncovered evidence it has been benefiting from child labour in India.
AN INTERNAL AUDIT by top high-street retailer Monsoon has uncovered that the company has been using child labour and underpaying workers, The Observer reports.
The chain, one of the pioneers of ethical fashion, discovered a catalogue of failures relating to a supplier in India that included the use of child labour and the cruel and inhumane treatment of staff.
It found:
- Children working in its supply chain
- Women working from home may have been paid less than the legal minimum wage
- Some workers are regularly required to work excessive overtime
- Conditions in suppliers’ factories sometimes break both local laws and the industry’s own ethical code
Chairman of Monsoon Peter Simon told The Observer: “We tirelessly monitor and work alongside our suppliers… Where we find an issue, we deal with it.”
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