
KARACHI - Top clothing brands in the EU are hesitant to fully eliminate child and bonded labour from their supply chain from Pakistan, one of the biggest producers of cotton and one of the largest textile exporters to the EU.
As the European Union is on the way to approving key pieces of legislation cracking down on modern slavery in its consumer products, top clothing brands are still unwilling to fully remove child and bonded labour from their supply chain, which continues to be a widespread scourge in cotton farming in Pakistan.
The European Commission has recently decided to extend to Pakistan its duty-free trade regime. This was first introduced in 2013, under the condition that Pakistan would enforce international labour standards and abolish any form of work exploitation. However, ten years later, evidence shows that there has been no real progress.
Photo credit © Shahzeb Jillani
ONLINE
- Quien teje tu camiseta no es un esclavo. ¿El que recoge el algodón? La UE elige no saberlo, El Confidencial, 20/05/2024
- The Human Cost Of EU High Street Fashion, The Friday Times, 17/01/2024
- Abbigliamento UE ancora legato alla schiavitu in Pakistan, Italia Oggi, 05/01/2024
- Moda, la Ue chiude un occhio sui minori schiavi nel Pakistan, Il FattoQuotidiano, 03/06/2024.
need resources for your own investigative story?
Journalismfund Europe's flexible grants programmes enable journalists to produce relevant public interest stories with a European mind-set from international, national, and regional perspectives.
support independent cross-border investigative journalism
We rely on your support to continue the work that we do. Make a gift of any amount today.