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NEWSLETTER 24, Oct 2007 Editorial

In May 2001, the media reported that Beijing's mayor, Liu Qi, pledged that by hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, "social progress and economic development" in China and Beijing would move forward, as would China's human rights situation.

Play Fair 2008 is an international campaign taking place in the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games to push for respect for workers' rights in the global sporting goods industry.

Will this promise be kept? This is something that a range of human rights organisations are keeping an eye on. Actually more than watching; they are actively pushing for progress. The CCC, along with its partners in the Play Fair 2008 campaign (PF08), is among them, calling for action to be taken, specifically on human rights in the workplace - in China, in Olympic supply chains, and throughout the global sportswear sector (an industry with a huge presence in China) - in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics.

While PF08 is not the first campaign the CCC has helped to organise in the context of the Olympics or the sportswear industry, this campaign also draws attention to working conditions in China, a country that presents specific challenges for garment workers' seeking to exercise their rights. The report released by PF08 on working conditions at four Chinese factories producing goods that bear the Olympic logo (see page 10) highlights many issues deserving of serious attention.

As this newsletter was going to press PF08 was gearing up for a number of creative, thought-provoking activities. We invite you to join this energetic mobilisation to engage the International Olympic Committee, the National Olympic Committees in your own country, governments, and the sportswear industry in constructive steps outlined by Play Fair to address the problems workers in the sector currently face.

In addition to campaigning on sportswear workers' rights at a time when the world is focused on international sporting events, there are many other ways to raise awareness of garment workers' realities. One of the most effective is to create spaces for workers to tell their own stories, preferably in person. During the CCC's Cambodian speaker tour (page 13) two former garment workers, now union and NGO activists, shared their experiences at a range of events that brought them face to face with varied audiences. Extensive media coverage meant that a vast public received their message; but just as important their time spent in direct conversations with the public, CCC staff and volunteers, and representatives of unions and NGOs resulted in more people becoming engaged in activities to support worker empowerment.

Another initiative that aims to boost understanding of garment industry conditions, but uses a more targeted approach, is the "fashion colleges" project (page 15). Now underway in four countries, these efforts focus on a very specific audience - people planning a future for themselves in the fashion industry. By aiming to raise awareness among future buyers and designers the project seeks to arm these decision-makers-in-training with knowledge that will make respect for workers' rights an integral part of their mindset from their very first day on the job.

For more on other ways the CCC is seeking to influence public opinion and motivate people to take positive action, see "News from the CCCs" (page 4). With the news of the new Norwegian CCC you can see that this active network continues to grow. We hope you'll be inspired to join us as well!

As always, we encourage readers to share, reprint or distribute any information found within this newsletter.

Editors: Celia Mather, Marieke Eyskoot and Nina Ascoly