China: Group Says Beijing Exploiting Children To Make Olympic Merchandise

By Breffni O'Rourke | Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty
June 11, 2007

China has been accused of allowing the exploitation of children and adult workers at enterprises manufacturing official merchandise for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The Play Fair Alliance, a human-rights panel which monitors working conditions, gave details about the charges in a report just issued. It says many workers are receiving less than half of the minimum wage.

The Play Fair Alliance is active in looking behind the glitter and glamour of the Olympic Games to uncover the seamy side of preparations for the world's greatest sporting festival.

With the 2008 Olympics in Beijing approaching fast, the Play Fair Alliance has been examining the factories in China that are churning out millions of pieces of merchandise for visitors to the games, such as officially approved caps, bags, stationery, badges, and numerous other trinkets.

A report just issued by Play Fair is alarming. It says the owners of factories are falsifying employment records and forcing workers to lie about their wages and conditions.

"What our researchers have found is evidence of children as young as 12 years old producing Olympic merchandise," says Owen Tudor, the head of the international department at Britain's Trades Union Congress. "They also found adults earning just 14 pence ($0.25) an hour -- that's half the minimum wage in China, which is already pretty low, and employees [are] forced to work 15 hours a day, seven days a week."

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