GAP Under Fire for Child Labor

We all love the GAP for its over zealous and warm image of being happy and stylish. If only the poor children in India who were forced to embroider the image felt the same.

From the Consumerist:

A freelance journalist has caught the GAP using child labor to produce hand embroidered clothing for its GAP Kids line. The children, who are as young as 10, are quoted as saying they were sold to the factory by their families and cannot leave until their debt is paid. A video of the factory's squalid conditions shows GAP Kids labels on the clothing.
"There was an overflowed latrine. Bowls of rice covered in mosquitoes. Quite a putrid smell inside the sweatshop," says Dan McDougall, the freelance reporter.
What are the odds that the GAP is right now, at this moment, "taking this seriously?"

And from ABC 5:

"At Gap, we firmly believe that under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

"These allegations are deeply upsetting and we take this situation very seriously. All of our suppliers and their sub-contractors are required to guarantee that they will not use child labour to produce garments.

"It is clear that one of our vendors violated this agreement, and a full investigation is under way."

Millions of children in India are forced to work in factories due to the third world economic conditions of the country. Most are sold by thier families in order to pay off debts. The GAP has sworn that is has very strict policies and absolutely refuses to work with any factory that is even suspected to be use child labor. Last year, the multi million dollar retailer fired 23 factories for violating this policy.