Those Who Run Child Labour are Traitors

After BBC’S conspirator news for the apparel sector, Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association Chairman Hikmet Tanrıverdi:

IHKIB Chairman Hikmet Tanrıverdi: By publishing this news, BBC is playing the scenario written by its own reporter. I found it very malevolent for them to come in Turkey one week after the attempted coup in 15 of July, make a hidden camera shooting in a workshop and present it as it is the general situation in Turkey. I clearly state that those who run child labour are traitors.

Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD) President Şeref Fayat: They try to constitute a negative perception with false news. I evaluate BBC’s news as the first step of a plan to harm Turkey’s trade and apparel industry.

British broadcasting Corporation BBC’s smear campaign against Turkey and Turkish apparel sector with the news of Syrian children working in an unregistered workplace caused a big reaction of the sector.

Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) Chairman Hikmet Tanrıverdi condemn the news claiming the existence of child labour in Turkish apparel sector and targeting to smear the sector.

Tanrıverdi, “This news doesn’t reflect the reality about our sector. By doing this, they aim to conspire our sector and threat global brands using our name.”

Tanrıverdi underlined that the global brands manufacturing in Turkey audit their producers with strict norms and they do not show tolerance to.

Underlining that the child labour is prohibited also with laws and has severe sanctions in Turkey, Hikmet Tanrıverdi said that:

THEY PLAYED THEIR OWN SCENARIO

“In our investigations as IHKIB, we determined that the mentioned producer is actually not working for any of the global brands written in the news. They went to the main company who worked before with this producer, by saying that they want to work with them and prepared a fake scenario as if they produce to these brands. Then the BBC reporter has built their own scenario as it was real and spread the news to whole world primarily to British public.

Turkey’s biggest buyers; Zara, Mango and Marks&Spencer are threatened with the news from an unregistered workplace without any document or evidence.

It is really sad for us that as a prestigious broadcasting corporation BBC chose to make news to block growing Turkish apparel sector instead of showing the realities.

They feared Turkish apparel sector’s power in global apparel market because Turkey is the strongest address in qualified and fast production. They wanted to scare the brands who produced in Turkey but we will hinder this attempt.

THEIR ARRIVAL TIME PROVES THEIR INTENTION

We think that it is not a coincidence that the BBC reporters came to Turkey one week after the attempted coup in 15 of July although the call of “Do not go to Turkey” in their country. We cannot associate BBC’s hurriedness with good intention and we believe that this whole program is a conspiracy.”

As it is known, child labour is illegal in our country. According to our laws, child labour has severe sanctions such as heavy fine and prison sentence. I clearly state that those who run child labour are traitors.

On the other hand, we found very significant that a reporter of a foreign news channel to come here in Turkey and make a hidden camera shooting by hiding his/her real identity.

If their real intention was to make the news, they would have come to us as the representatives of the Turkey’s biggest apparel exporter association. They would have asked any question they want and we would have visited any facility with them.

WE EXPECT BBC OFFICIALS TO COME TO TURKEY

Now we invite the reporters and BBC officials to Turkey. Let’s visit one by one the factories which produce to global brands. They can determine the place, the date and the time. If they can find even one single child worker, we will accept any kind of sanction.”

Reminding the United Kingdom’s unwillingness for accepting 5 thousand Syrian refugees, although Turkey is hosting 3 million Syrians Tanrıverdi said “We have difficulty in understanding their negative perception propaganda on Turkish apparel sector without seeing whether our Syrian workers have working permission or not.”

TGSD PRESIDENT FAYAT: THEY TRY TO CREATE A NEGATIVE PERCEPTION ABOUT TURKEY

Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD) President Şeref Fayat indicated that it was unfair to use the news, which was illegally recorded and created in an unregistered workplace for a smear campaign against Turkish apparel sector that realizes 18 billion $ export. Fayat underlined that this news against Turkish apparel sector conflicted with journalism ethics and was not made with good intentions.

By reminding that Turkish apparel sector has proved its power and working standards to whole world and it has been producing to global brands for a long time Fayat added that:

“Running child labour has really severe sanctions in Turkey. On the other hand, our firms are always audited by their buyer brands and work with them by accepting contract with strict rules. We know that one of our supplier’s mistake will also oblige us who signed contracts with global brands. That is why we act with the collective consciousness and audit our sub-manufacturers.”

WE NEVER TOLERATE CHILD LABOUR

According to our investigations, the mentioned producer in the BBC’s news is an unregistered producer who has not any production relation with global brands. Even it is an unregistered workplace our legal system and we, as a regulatory institution never tolerate child labour.

The BBC reporter went to the workplace by hiding his/her real identity and used hidden camera shooting and reflected the news according to their fake scenario. Thus, it is impossible for us to correlate this with a good intention. They try to constitute a negative perception with false news. I evaluate BBC’s news as the first step of a plan to harm Turkey’s trade and apparel industry. We have difficulty on associating this conspirator news with BBC’s prestige as it has no relation with journalism ethics.”

Caption: In press conference, Hikmet Tanrıverdi and Şeref Fayat gave the message of “We are behind what we produced”