Italian firms urge: Don't buy Thai toys

A human rights group in Italy has urged Italian firms to stop importing toys from Thailand claiming that the products were the output of child labour. The call appeared in an Italian daily paper 11 Messaggero, which quoted Cardinal Josef Tomko as saying that Sister Maria Teresa Crescini had urged that Italian firms should stop importing toys from Thailand. The report said toy firms from countries in the Southeast Asia particularly Thailand have used child labour to produce their products.

The Thai Commercial Counsellor Office in Italy, after obtaining the report, informed the Thai Commerce Ministry to counter the claim by explaining the real situation in Thailand.

Two Thai toy exporting firms, Apex Toy Co. Ltd and City Toy Co Ltd.. said it was unlikely that the report would affect Thailand's toy exports. "The importers usually come to inspect the toy factories before making orders and it is certain that the international standard factories producing for export do not hire child labour", said the exporters. However, they accepted that 3-5 % of child labour may be employed in the shop house factories that produce low quality products but claimed that other countries in Southeast Asia are also using child labour. (excerpts from the Bangkok Post)

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This article was posted at: http://www.cwa.tnet.co.th/vol8-4/italian1.htm