Carpet Slaves

When you think about human trafficking, you might think about prostitution, forced labor in restaurants and in homes but, you might not think that the carpet industry would have forced labor, but it does. Many of the oriental rugs and carpets that are made are made by children who have been forced to make rugs for free or to make them for little pay. Some companies such as RugMark are trying to stop this exploitation. The U.S. trade companies should stop buying and selling rugs and carpets without the RugMark tag because U.S. consumers are uninformed about how the rugs and carpets are made and by whom.

The carpet export industry is one of the largest earners in exports for Pakistan, India, Morocco and Nepal. According to the South Asian Coalition on Children Servitude, between 200,000 and 300,000 children are involved in the carpet industry. (Anti-Slavery Society) But, for many years the carpet industry has claimed that "nimble fingers of the children are essential to form the intricate designs used in the carpets."(Anti-Slavery Society) Although the carpet industry has made this claim it has been discredited, the low to middle grade carpets are made by children and the more expensive ones are made by adults. In the carpet industry the rugs and carpets aren't always made in a big factories, they are made in small villages by people who own their own looms and the children who make the carpets are often the loom owner's own children. Children are also secured by human traffickers from poor regions of the countries. The carpet industry says that the two main advantages to using children is that they have good sight which helps them see the intricate designs in the poor lights and that they adapt to the poor working conditions along with poor wages. Although these may be seen by the companies as advantages, they are in reality disadvantages because the children's eyesight is damaged, and they can develop lung diseases from breathing in all the wool used for making the rugs. The children who make these carpets are either forced to or are paid little wages. They are separated from their families to be beaten or locked up. They are paid little wages which are made less by the factory owners for "food and boarding" or whatever the loom masters believe the children have to pay (Anti-Slavery Society). This is no way for a child to live. These children should be going to school and playing outside with their friends, and as longs as consumers are unaware of this situation, it will keep going. But, there is one company that is trying to stop carpet slavery, RugMark.


The RugMark Foundation was founded in 1994 by many non-government businesses, organizations, government entities and multilateral groups such as UNICEF (RugMark). The idea for RugMark was started by Kailash Satyarthi in 1980. Satyarthi had been liberating children from carpet factories. Although he was saving some, more would eventually end up at the factories to replace the ones who were gone. RugMark is a company that gives certified looms to other rug and carpet companies. These companies have to sign a legally binding contract. This contract states that manufactures have to "produce carpets without illegal child labor, register all loom with the RugMark Foundation, allow access to looms for unannounced inspections and pay associated license fees" (RugMark). RugMark Foundation not only makes rugs and carpets but they help the rescued children. They have educational programs that are funded by the sales of RugMark rugs and by donations. These educational programs help rehabilitate children, they also provide daycare, literacy, formal schooling and vocational training. RugMark also tries to help the children find their families. The children have some choices for the schooling, they can go to a RugMark boarding school or can live at home and go to a public or private school with support from RugMark. These educational programs are designed to help the children receive numeracy and literacy training, and prepares them for a formal education (RugMark). RugMark is working hard to change the carpet industry, and it is working.

No one wants to know that children are making the things they are walking on but many of them don't know that children are. RugMark is helping consumers become more aware. As people become more aware of the carpet industry situation more and more consumers are wanting RugMark rugs and carpets. Up to 23% of U.S. consumers are wanting socially responsible products (RugMark). In other words more adults are asking where products come from and who they are made before they buy them. Because the consumers are wanting socially responsible products, isn't in the best interest of the companies to make products that consumers want? By meeting the demands of the consumers the companies are showing that they care not just about their business but the life of others.


"Children in the Carpet Industry." Fighting Slavery Today. Anti-Slavery Society. 12 Dec. 2008 http://www.anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/carpets.htm.

RugMark Foundation. 12 Dec. 2008 http://www.rugmark.org/home.php.