A SCHOOL FOR IQBAL

Child-Labor-Free Shopping Trip

Well it's over for this year!!! Twenty-seven Broad Meadows Middle School students
in Massachusetts have gone on a "Day-Before-Thanksgiving" Child-labor-free shopping trip at our
biggest Mall!!! So, I bet you're wondering what happened?? Well, we broke into
groups of three, and headed off to interview the store
managers on our lists. We met with 102 store managers to introduce ourselves
and then ask our one big question: "Can you guarantee that every item sold in
this store is guaranteed "child-labor-free"?

1. Some of the store managers didn't even know what child labor was!! Seriously!
We actually got answers like "What's that?" and "You think MY store has that stuff
going on?!" We even had one manager say they did have products made by child
labor!!

2. One VERY popular store denied that their trendy clothes were made in
sweatshops, but then that manager told us that his two biggest competitors
DEFINITELY had sweatshop made clothing for sale.

3. Not one single manager could produce their corporate "Workers' Code of
Conduct." Some managers said they had one, but we never saw a single one. Most
did not know what a workers' code of conduct is.

4. We did get kicked out of two stores as soon as we said the "child labor" words.

5. A few refused to discuss child labor with us saying, "We are not allowed to discuss
that issue."

Statistics:

We visited 102 stores (clothing, food court, sports, electronics, etc.) in 3
hours. Each team of three students had a different list of stores. We did that so we
wouldn't miss any store or visit the same store over and over.

* 51 store managers said: "I have no idea" or "I really do not know."

* 25 store managers said: "There is nothing in this store made by children."
However, when we asked for the "Workers' Code of Conduct" to see exactly
how the store guarantees their goods are child-labor-free, none could show us
anything. Are we supposed to just take their word?

* 12 gave answers like: "What's child labor?" Are adults in this country really that
ignorant about sweatshops and child labor?

* 2 said: "Yes, we must be selling things made by children." When we asked them
how that made them feel they said: "Bad."

* 2 kicked us out after we asked the question. We are shopping for knowledge,
not trouble. We practiced what to do if a manager got aggressive. We just
left. We won't shop there EVER!

* 10 gave random answers like they were comedians. We didn't think it was
right to joke about child labor.

Well it was a brutal 4 hours, but our "operation Day's Work" group is strong, and we
made it through. In fact, after we got back, we still wanted to know if those
stores who did not know indeed had child labor, or not. So myself and 5 others
got together, broke out our lists and called the stores' corporate headquarters
or home office.

Some listened to us. Many promised they would fax or snail mail to us a copy of
their "Workers' Code of Conduct." That was three weeks ago. We haven't received a
single one yet.

Now, it is up to you, the one reading this summary. What do you think you can
do to help us on the journey to a child labor free world?? Contact us!! Here's
the following address:
 
The Kids' Campaign : A School for Iqbal
& Operation Day's Work Student Group
Broad Meadows Middle School
1 Anne Marie Zukauskas Way 50 Calvin Road
Quincy Massachusetts, 02169

email: endchlabor@AOL.com

Thank you for reading this!!!

Kayla, age 14 and Kristen, age 14
O.D.W. - MA
USA
 
For more info about actions young people can take
to eliminate forced, abusive child labor,
go to :
 
http://iccle.org/newsletter_children/0412/index.php3#1