138 Million Children: We are here for you.
It is estimated that 138 million children are part of the workforce in countries all over the world. 77 million children or so are in situations of forced labor, beyond the needs of just poverty and survival. Worldwide supply chains complicate the enforcement of laws which prohibit the use of children in the workforce. We are all guilty of perpetuating this problem.
The names of 40 countries (there are many more) are stitched onto the little arms which reach out from 27 children’s garments that were made outside the US. The labels showing the brand and country of production are left visible. Some of the hands are bandaged or missing fingers. There is a cycle to consider which I call the Cycle of Strife. A child makes a shirt in a third world country. That shirt is shipped to the US. It is purchased, worn and donated for resale. If it does not sell, it is bundled into a “scrap clothing” bale and sent back overseas, perhaps to be worn by the same child who was part of the original creation process. One laminated card shows a child in a Versace logo t-shirt.
This piece is interactive as 17 laminated cards with information about this issue can be unhooked and read by the viewer.
The names of 40 countries (there are many more) are stitched onto the little arms which reach out from 27 children’s garments that were made outside the US. The labels showing the brand and country of production are left visible. Some of the hands are bandaged or missing fingers. There is a cycle to consider which I call the Cycle of Strife. A child makes a shirt in a third world country. That shirt is shipped to the US. It is purchased, worn and donated for resale. If it does not sell, it is bundled into a “scrap clothing” bale and sent back overseas, perhaps to be worn by the same child who was part of the original creation process. One laminated card shows a child in a Versace logo t-shirt.
This piece is interactive as 17 laminated cards with information about this issue can be unhooked and read by the viewer.