CHINA – To western children, Disney is a fairytale world of talking mice and princesses.
To Chinese children, sometimes it means working from 8am to 10pm, handling chemicals without protection, being chastised for failing to hit production targets and eating unhealthy food.
Staff at two factories making Disney toys for Westerners employed children between the ages of 14 and 16 in breach of local labour laws and the entertainment giant’s own code of conduct, according to a report by China Labour Watch, a United States non-governmental organisation.
Adults and children worked 12-hour days in “unacceptable conditions”, said the 25-page document. One factory was making Winnie the Pooh and Piglet toys, the other was making Disney dolls and stamps.
The organisation launched the undercover investigation because problems had been found before at factories producing Disney-branded goods.
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