Olympic mascots made by Chinese workers in exploitative conditions
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic games (LOCOM) has strict ethical guidelines for Olympic suppliers, however, The Sun exposed that these are not being met.
The Sun article states that the cuddly toy versions of the Olympic mascots, Mandeville and Wenlock, have been made in factories in China where workers are paid just 18p per a cuddly toy. Undercover investigators from Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM), exposed the situation after visiting the Rainbow factory in Dafeng City twice. SACOM report that the workers in the factory are forced to work up to 11 ½ hours a day, with no holiday rights, fined a day’s wage for leaving their workspace untidy and told to lie to investigators about their conditions.
We are aware that there is a significant risk that trafficking in many forms could increase during the London Olympics. It is imperative that there is an immediate response to these reports that expose exploitative practises that could easily involve the trafficking of human beings. We expect to see the Olympic committee taking direct action to redress this situation and clearly demonstrate their commitment to ethical practises.
Read The Sun article here
