Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein found two cases of child labor in its supply chain last year. Such allegations first started intensifying 3 years ago. In 2023, Shein found the use of child labor, kids under sixteen, within its supply chain; the labor violations were included in the company’s sustainability report.
Shein’s report did not detail where the children were being used. Shein’s responded by suspending orders from the suppliers and gave them a deadline to address the violations which includes ending contracts with underage workers, paying outstanding wages, arranging medical checkups, returning children to their parents or guardians, and strengthening screening processes for hiring.
Workers in some factories supplying Shein are working 75-hour weeks, according to an investigation by Public Eye, a Swiss human rights advocacy group. Workers also claim that they will hardly get a wage increase since 2021.
Public Eye interviewed some workers employed at some factories in Guangzhou, a region in southern China. It found that staff worked an average of 12-hours a day, excluding lunch and dinner breaks, usually for six to seven days a week.
A spokesperson for Shein told CNN that the company requires its suppliers to cap workers’ schedules at 60 hours per week including overtime and to give workers at least one day off a week. According to a Shein spokesperson,
“We strictly do not tolerate child labor. We treat any violations with utmost severity, and any such violations found would result in the immediate termination of the firm’s business relationship with the supplier.”
Shein has overtaken competitors such as H&M and Zara as the dominant fast fashion retailer in the U.S market. Shein gained its popularity due to their low pricing, which is a result of a combination of theft, deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and allegedly the use of forced labor.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is now investigating Shein for slave labor. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) became law in 2021. This law requires the U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to block imports that use Uyghur slave labor.
Interview Questions:
“Are you familiar with the fast fashion company Shein?”
“Have you shopped at Shein?”
“How do you feel about the Shein child labor law?”
“Do you plan on continuing to buy products from Shein?”
I interviewed student Allyson Ochoa to get another perspective on this matter. When asked if she was familiar with Shein, she responds,
“Yes, I have the app. I use it often. I purchase from the app multiple times a month.”
When asked about the child labor law, her response was,
“I’ve heard rumors on the internet and I’ve seen a lot of TikTok videos about ‘child workers’ asking for help through packages and tags.”
I asked student Ashleen Bains some questions relating to these allegations. Her response was,
“Honestly, I have not shopped from them for a couple of months now due to the cheap quality and labor issues. I do not feel comfortable supporting a business with bad practice.”