Terre des Hommes is fighting for workers' rights in the textile industry in India. Much has already improved, but thousands of girls and women are still exploited and held captive on factory premises – surrounded by high walls and barbed wire.
Exploitation in textile factories is modern slavery and must be ended.
Your donation works
India/Tamil Nadu: Twelve hours a day, seven days a week, working on noisy machines. The air is filled with dust; there are no hearing protection or respirators. Anyone who is sick is given a pill – and must continue working. The supervisors are exclusively male. They insult, beat, and harass the girls and young women. Even cases of rape have been documented. In the accommodations, 20 female workers sleep in alternating shifts in ten square meters, on the floor, closely guarded and isolated from the outside world.
End exploitation - give education
Kanishka was only 14 years old when her childhood abruptly ended. She put her schoolbooks on the shelf and followed her father's instructions to work in a textile factory. Her parents were in dire poverty – and faced enormous pressure to raise money for their daughter's dowry. These large factories produce fabrics and yarns for international fashion companies. The owners exploit the girls' difficult living conditions to keep them in inhumane working conditions with multi-year contracts.
As a result, girls are often taken out of school and forced to work hard even as children.
Out of the factory - into a self-determined life
Terre des Hommes and Indian partner organizations bring hope to the families. Social workers go to the villages, talk to parents, educate them about the deplorable conditions in the factories, and offer alternatives: Their daughters can finish school and begin training at educational centers. For female factory workers, they negotiate with the factory owners to secure better working conditions and insist on respect for labor rights.
Today, Kanishka is back in school. She wants to get an education and only get married when she's earned enough money. The future now belongs to her again.
"I'm never going back to the factory again. I want to finish school and then find a good job—only then will I get married!"
Your donation ends exploitation!
Protect girls from exploitation and ensure them a future free from poverty: Please help – with your donation!
Terre des Hommes guarantees: Your donation makes a difference and reaches its destination
Our name, " Terre des Hommes ," stands for an "Earth of Humanity." As a children's rights organization, we are committed to 416 projects worldwide for children in need: We protect them from violence and exploitation and provide humanitarian aid.
Several institutions monitor the correct use of your donation: Audit firms and the Osnabrück tax office regularly conduct audits, including at our regional offices worldwide. Furthermore, we undergo an annual assessment by the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI). The DZI awards a donation seal to non-profit organizations that operate reliably and are trustworthy. Terre des Hommes Germany has held this seal continuously since 1992.
questions and answers
In our FAQ we answer the most common questions that are asked about donations. Our colleagues in the donation service will also be happy to help you by phone.
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Your contact persons
Marie-Luise Steinkamp
Speaker donation service
Doris Wächter
Speaker donation service