Victoria's Secret: the child labour behind the cotton

WOMEN WHO wear Victoria's Secret underwear may unwittingly have been contributing to the misery of child workers in the developing world. A six-week investigation by the Bloomberg news agency revealed Fair Trade cotton – most of it earmarked for the US lingerie brand – was produced in appalling conditions.

Bloomberg found that the rise in demand for certified Fair Trade cotton, intended to safeguard the people involved in its production, has actually created fresh incentives for the exploitation of children.

The news agency found child labour was prevalent in the African nation Burkina Faso, where farmers say they cannot meet demand without employing children as young as 10 who are often treated with tremendous cruelty and forced to work as slaves.

Thirteen-year-old Clarisse Kambire was discovered working on her second harvest. The farmer who employs her cannot afford an ox and plough, so Kambire digs holes for plants with a hoe.

If he decides Kambire is going too slow he shouts at her and beats her with a tree branch. She sleeps on a plastic sheet in a bare hut and has nightmares about her tormentor.

All of the cotton produced by Kambire's farmer was bought by Victoria's Secret last year – and the crop is earmarked for the underwear giant again this season.

The lingerie maker first announced it would use Fair Trade cotton in 2009, when it produced a thong made with 95 per cent Fair Trade. Now it has vastly lowered the percentage – to just 20 per cent – but makes most of its cotton range this way.

A spokesman for Victoria's Secret's parent company, Limited Brands Inc, pointed out that the amount of Fair Trade cotton it buys from Burkina Faso is minimal, but said the company would take the allegations seriously.

"They describe behaviour contrary to our company’s values and the code of labour and sourcing standards we require all of our suppliers to meet," said Tammy Roberts Myers. "Our standards specifically prohibit child labour. We are vigorously engaging with stakeholders to fully investigate this matter." ·