Still ‘captured by cotton’?

In May 2011, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) published the report ‘Captured by Cotton – Exploited Dalit girls produce garments in India for European and US markets’. The report uncovered troubling evidence thatproducts for big garment brands and retailers were being made by girls under exploitative working conditions in Tamil Nadu, South India. Currently, SOMO and ICN are working on a follow-up report, which is scheduled for publication in mid-April 2012. New field research has been conducted, including interviews with nearly 200 women workers. The new report examines the current situation at the four garment manufacturers originally investigated for Captured by Cotton. SOMO and ICN look at what the industry promised to undertake to curb labour abuses following the first report, what has actually been achieved, and to what effect. In advance of the forthcoming report, this fact sheet highlights some of the preliminary findings and recommendations.