Introduction
At Aero-Box, their goal is to create chic and sporty active wear for women of every shape and size. Whether you are into lifting, yoga, running or a combination of it all, Aero-Box aims to take the stress out of shopping for workout clothes. That way you can spend more time doing the activities you love. Our trained professionals hand-pick items based on a personal survey subscribers fill out prior to signing up. The box includes a variety of six items including a full outfit, water bottle and different accessories and will arrive straight to your front door-step. Not only do we want our customers to look good but to feel good also. Which is why all the clothing from Aero-Box is made from natural fibers and resources on farms within the United States.
Child Labor
Defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labor is “work that deprives a child of their childhood.” In many cases, children are separated from their families at a young age and enslaved to work in harsh and hazardous conditions (ILO). These children are left to fend of themselves and are unable to get proper nutrition and medicine. In order for it to be defined as child labor, it must depend on the child’s age, working conditions, activity being performed and the number of working hours being done.
Main Economic Sectors
According to the International Labour Organization there are five economic sectors that children ages 5 through 17 years old are forced into work (ILO 2013).
- 6% Agriculture: This sector includes agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing.
- 4% Services other than domestic work: This sector includes wholesale and retail, restaurant and hotel services, transport, finance, insurance, real-estate and business services.
- 2% Industry: This sector includes mining, manufacturing, construction and public utilities such as gas, electric and water.
- 9% Domestic work
- 9% Not defined
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor
The International Program of Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) has worked since 1992 to eliminate child labor worldwide. Their efforts have saved thousands of children and have achieved this in many ways by:
- Establishing county-based programs that promote policy reform
- Building institutional capacity
- Raising awareness and push ratification
Statistics
The International Labour Organization conducts yearly reports on global and regional estimates focused on child labor. The reports are compared to previous years to see if there has been any improvement in the issue. From a report released in 2013, this is what the ILO was able to conclude.
- “Global number of children in child labor has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).
- Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labor (59 million, over 21%).
- There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labor in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).
- Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child laborers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy.
- Child labor among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys.” (ILO 2013)
Current Situation
In 2014, Aero-Box had a lawsuit filed against them for failing to include the information about using child labor in China. The allegations brought against them by Mike and Ellis, a consumer rights law firm. In their corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement, Aero-Box openly states that their material used in their merchandise is imported locally from farms within the United State. The accusations have been denied by Aero-Box CEO Amanda Banks.
Key Players
- Amanda Banks, founder and CEO of Aero-Box, had a lawsuit filed against organization for failing to disclose their involvement with child labor in China.
- Mike and Ellis Law Firm, a firm specialized in consumer rights, filed the suit against Aero-Box for failing to disclose information about using slave labor in merchandise.
- Luke Lorio, president of IPEC
- Guy Rider, president of International Labor Organization
Time Line of Situation
- April 2014: CNN Article mentioned Aero-Box has participated in child labor in China.
- January 2015: Mike and Ellis file lawsuit against Aero-Box
- March 2015: Proper documentation was provided to prove that the case had no merit to go to court
- August 2015: Court saw no reason to take the charges to court as there was significant proof that allegations were false.
Conclusion
The Aero-Box CSR statement clearly identifies that the company imports all material for their merchandise within the United States. Although false rumors were shed against the organization, no such allegations proved to be true. The case has been dropped and no further action has been taken from either parties.
Sources
International Labour Organization (2013). Child Labour. Retrieved September 12, 2016 from
< http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang–en/index.htm>
International Labour Organization (2013). What is Child Labour. Retrieved September 12, 2016 from < http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang–en/index.htm>
International Labour Organization (2013). Action against child labour. Retrieved September 12, 2016 from < http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Action/lang–en/index.htm>
Media
The media outlets that I would post and send this to would be the organization website and various media outlets that would be able to create press releases from it. Since our public is younger active females, I would try and push this to get released in magazines that are focused around that public.
AERO-Box 