I first learned about child slave labor in Asian rug manufacturing factories about 4 years ago. I was appalled to hear first hand stories of young children forced against their will to weave rugs for long hours in dismal conditions at slave (if any) wages. I vowed then and there to offer only rugs that are certified to be free of child labor. If inexpensive hand made wood rugs are inexpensive because children were forced to weave them, I want no part in that rug sale.
Here is a great recap on the internationally known Good Weave program and
y favorite hand made rug suppliers at Azadi rugs in Telluride. Not only are their rugs certified child labor free, their service is excellent and you can trade your rug in at any time for a different style or size! Thanks Azadi, for being a Good Weave Champion. You and your company totally rock.
Sarah Sumner Fusion Interiors
BUSINESS BRIEFS | AZADI Fine Rugs Becomes GoodWeave a Certified Champion
Jul 29, 2013 | 775 views | 0 
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TELLURIDE – AZADI Fine Rugs in Telluride
is proud to announce they have become a champion of the GoodWeave
certification label, partnering with the organization to give consumers
the power to end child labor through a simple act: demanding certified
child-labor-free rugs.
GoodWeave is an
internationally acclaimed organization that works to end child labor in
the handmade rug industry and offer educational opportunities to
children in weaving communities. They will be holding a GoodWeave
celebration event on Thursday, July 25, ,from 4-6 p.m. at their Colorado Avenue location.
Most
consumers don’t realize that the carpet-making industry is rife with
child labor. April 16 marked the anniversary of the death of Pakistani
rug-slave-turned-activist Iqbal Massih who inspired the work of
GoodWeave. He was sold into bonded labor at age 4 and chained to a
carpet loom until he escaped six years later and began speaking out
against the industry. He won the Reebok human rights award in the early
1990s and was killed in 1995 at the age of 11.
Since
founder and executive director of GoodWeave, U.S.A. Nina Smith launched
GoodWeave in 2000 child labor in the industry is down 75 percent.
“Consumers
drive their demands for fair labor practices back onto the market.”
said Smith. “Through the sale of nearly eight million child-labor free
rugs worldwide the number of ‘carpet kids’ has dropped from 1 million to
250,000.”
GoodWeave-certified producers comply with
an extensive certification standard and undergo monitoring of their
facilities. Importers of Good Weave textiles pay a small royalty fee
that Good Weave and partner organizations use to educate and
rehabilitate former child weavers. The GoodWeave label is the best
assurance that no child labor was used in the making of a carpet or rug.
“We
are honored to take our place with companies globally that have taken a
stand for children in weaving communities,” said AZADI Fine Rugs owner
David Neishabori.
The celebration at AZADI in
Telluride will also include images from the acclaimed Faces of Freedom
photography exhibit during the GoodWeave event which offers a look into
the heart of that transformation. This traveling photo exhibition,
sponsored by GoodWeave and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, takes you behind
the looms and inside the carpet factories of South Asia. The stunning
images were captured by photo documentarian, filmmaker and human rights
educator U. Roberto Romano.
AZADI Fine Rugs is located
217 W. Colorado Avenue. They also have locations in Scottsdale and
Sedona, Ariz. For more information about AZADI Fine Rugs call
970/728-4620 or go to www.azadifinerugs.com.
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