0:00:01 > 0:00:02On Panorama tonight...
0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hang on. Look up, look up.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08We go undercover to show how big fashion brands are profiting
0:00:08 > 0:00:10from refugees and their children.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19We find Syrian teenagers making clothes for one of Britain's
0:00:19 > 0:00:21most treasured retailers.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24That's Marks and Spencer.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27That's an iconic British brand.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33We discover how our clothes get made in child labour sweatshops.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Brands need to understand that they are responsible for the
0:00:36 > 0:00:40conditions that the clothes are made in and it's not enough to say,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42"We didn't know about this."
0:00:42 > 0:00:45THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:00:45 > 0:00:49And we meet the kids who to have to sew to survive.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Fast fashion has changed the way our clothes are made.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28The big brands want to get the latest styles to the shops
0:01:28 > 0:01:30as quickly as possible.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It means clothes have to be made closer to home -
0:01:36 > 0:01:41and one country in particular is picking up a lot of business.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself because I've managed
0:01:47 > 0:01:49to find a few bargains.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And these items here, well,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54they all have one thing in common -
0:01:54 > 0:01:56they've all been made in Turkey.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Turkey is on the edge of Europe,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05so you might expect workers making your clothes
0:02:05 > 0:02:07would be treated fairly.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10But that's not always the case.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Problems for workers in Turkey are not new.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Some estimates put it at 60% of the workforce in Turkey being
0:02:16 > 0:02:19unregistered, which obviously leads to exploitation,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22because those workers don't have legal protections.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26That has been a long-standing issue and this manifested itself often in
0:02:26 > 0:02:30exploitation of female workers and, historically, also in child labour.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39And now there's a new source of cheap labour in Turkey.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Refugees who have fled from neighbouring Syria.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47We won't let them into Europe.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Now, almost three million Syrians are living in Turkey.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Hardly any have the right to work, so thousands work illegally
0:02:57 > 0:03:00in the clothing industry, where they're often exploited.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05We've spoken to dozens of Syrian refugees working here
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and, without exception, they speak a pitiful wages and
0:03:09 > 0:03:11terrible working conditions.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The thing is, they know they're being ripped off,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16but they know they can do nothing about it.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Amina and her family fled Syria when their neighbourhood was bombed.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Her husband found work in the textile industry,
0:03:33 > 0:03:34doing 13-hour shifts.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39He dropped dead at work last year.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- Your husband died working, collapsed over his machine?- Hmm.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- TRANSLATION:- Certainly. This is how he died.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53While he was working, he fell on the machine.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Do you remember when you found out that he was dead?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I didn't know what was happening to me.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I came running. I couldn't speak.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16The factory paid £180 in compensation.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Now Amina says she has no choice but to send her three
0:04:21 > 0:04:23oldest children out to work.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- TRANSLATION:- Education is very important,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30but human beings must eat so they can live.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33They are forced to work, whether they like it or not.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It's a choice between life and death.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46To find out what conditions are really like, we're going undercover.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It's more risky than usual.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Secret filming is illegal here
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and Turkey has a reputation for jailing journalists.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02'We're posing as the owners of a new fashion business.'
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Thank you very much. I think...
0:05:04 > 0:05:08'The owner of this factory, where denim is processed,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'says they work with all the big brands.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:13Mango.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Oh, this one's Mango.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Ah, these are nice, actually.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Today, they are distressing jeans for Mango and Zara.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37You can see the flames, as they burn holes in the denim with lasers.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Workers also spray hazardous chemicals to bleach the jeans.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48They do this for 12 hours a day,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51but most don't even have a basic facemask.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57At least three of the workers are Syrian refugees.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04The factory later told us that it was not employing refugees.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Mango says the factory was working as
0:06:08 > 0:06:11a subcontractor "without Mango's knowledge".
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It inspected and said that there were...
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It didn't find any Syrian workers.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Zara's parent company, Inditex,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26says its factory inspections are a...
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It had already found "significant non-compliance"
0:06:34 > 0:06:36in an audit in June.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41It gave the factory until December to...
0:06:50 > 0:06:52It's just before 8am.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56I'm watching a street corner in the suburbs of Istanbul.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Syrian refugees come here to get hired.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03So, you can see there, just across the street,
0:07:03 > 0:07:09who we think is the middleman, selecting his crew for today's work.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14Those who are picked, known as daily workers, are bussed to a factory.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We've got a contact among the Syrian refugees on board.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- TRANSLATION:- Always there are Syrians there.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Sometimes as many as 20 people, according to the work required.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35We follow the bus to see where they work.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43The workforce is just jumping out there now.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49It's a factory used by some of the world's biggest brands.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55After their shift,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57the workers are dropped back to the same neighbourhood.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05They are paid in cash, without any payslips.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14When I meet up with our contact,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I'm hoping he'll have proof of what clothes he is making.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Can I see the labels?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- TRANSLATION:- I don't remember the names exactly,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29as I don't know English, but I have the labels with me.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36That's Marks & Spencer.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39That's an iconic British brand.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45One of the most famous in British retailing.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48This brand, Marks & Spencer,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52they are committed to producing
0:08:52 > 0:08:55clothes only under the very best terms for workers.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Machines have all the rights.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03If one breaks, they'll fix it straight away,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07because they benefit from the machine.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09But if anything happens to a Syrian,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12they'll throw him away like a piece of cloth.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Our investigation is starting to get somewhere.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But the following night, this happens.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34Elements of the Turkish army try to overthrow the government.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36We film from the roof of our apartment.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39GUNFIRE
0:09:39 > 0:09:41- That's shots.- That's shots.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44SHOUTING
0:09:45 > 0:09:47The coup collapses the next day...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49GUNFIRE
0:09:49 > 0:09:52..and the government later declares a state of emergency.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Thousands of people have been arrested.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03There are huge pro-government rallies every night.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09We're stopped by the police four times in four days.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14We're worried they'll find our secret cameras.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Our night-time journeys back into the centre of Istanbul
0:10:19 > 0:10:22have become a little edgy.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24A few nights ago, we were pulled over by the police
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and given the third degree.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28They wanted to see everyone's documentation and they even
0:10:28 > 0:10:32went so far as to start taking photographs of the van.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Vitally, though,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38what they didn't do is they didn't poke through our equipment.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Marks & Spencer has not found a single Syrian refugee
0:10:49 > 0:10:51working on its clothes.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00But we found seven in our one factory.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- My name is Darragh.- My name is Jarragh.- Darragh.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- Diarragh.- Dar-ragh.- Darragh. - Hey, I love it!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Some of them are teenagers and the youngest is just 15.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15You're 15?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17You should still be at school.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- TRANSLATION:- Yes, I would love to be at school.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23If you don't work, you have no money.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24Simple as that.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28In Turkey, if you don't work, you don't eat.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38This 15-year-old boy has been working more than 12 hours
0:11:38 > 0:11:42a day, ironing M&S clothes before they're shipped to the UK.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Some of the workers are paid a basic wage of little more
0:11:48 > 0:11:50than a pound an hour.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54That's well under the Turkish legal minimum.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59All of this is a complete breach of M&S's own code of conduct.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- Thank you. Thank you very much. - My pleasure.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- Shukran.- Shukrand?- Shukran.- Shukran.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06In Arabic? Thank you.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Marks & Spencer said our findings were "extremely serious"
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and "unacceptable to M&S".
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It's "offering permanent legal employment" to any
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Syrian daily workers.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23M&S says...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32All the companies in this programme say suppliers have
0:12:32 > 0:12:35to meet their standards,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and they conduct unannounced inspections to guarantee this.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42But our M&S workers tell us these audits don't work.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44When the auditors arrive,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46they are hidden out of sight.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- TRANSLATION:- When the auditors come, the bosses know.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55When there is an inspection, they take us out to the street.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- TRANSLATION:- If they saw us, it would make problems for the company.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Has that happened actually at this plant where you're
0:13:03 > 0:13:04working right now?
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Three times. We hid in the street from ten till six.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Isn't that right?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Yeah, ten till six.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27This practice of cheating the auditors is hardly a secret.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30We learned of it after a matter of days.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And if we know, you would think the brands should, too.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41The auditing process and auditing industry that's grown up has failed.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43A lot of brands will acknowledge this,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47that they know that the model is not working and it's not enabling
0:13:47 > 0:13:48them to detect serious abuse.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Even the Ethical Trading Initiative, which works with brands,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56has it doubts.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Is the auditing process fit for purpose?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01The audits work very well in certain circumstances,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03but you need to complement audits
0:14:03 > 0:14:06with collaboration, with investigation,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09working with trade unions - which is what ETI is all about -
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and making sure you have a better understanding
0:14:11 > 0:14:15of what's actually happening than audits alone will provide.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24There are thousands of Syrian children working across the city.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Here we go.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33We visit 22 factories in Istanbul.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And there are kids in most of them.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00These children look no more than seven or eight years old.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04They're making boxer shorts for the Turkish market.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And in another cramped basement sweatshop,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18we find these kids working on jumpers.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Before I came here, I thought it was going to be difficult to
0:15:25 > 0:15:29find children at work making clothes.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33That just tells you how naive I was. They're everywhere,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36in particular, in workshops,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39basement workshops like the one behind me,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41and they're all across the city.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51WOMAN SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:15:55 > 0:16:00It's 7am, and 13-year-olds Oday and Rasha have to get up.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Their mum struggles to wake them each morning.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12They're exhausted from working 60-hour weeks.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32They're from a small village outside Aleppo.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It's where they grew up and went to school.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39But this morning, Oday has to look for a new job...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44..while Rasha is heading off for another shift.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59They earn about 70p an hour,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03and their family relies on their wages to survive.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Oday spends the morning looking for work.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33When I catch up with him later,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37he's struggling to put a brave face on bad news.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48What will you do now?
0:17:48 > 0:17:50You have no work, what will you do now?
0:18:05 > 0:18:08You are a brave man, doing your best for your family.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32So how do children end up making our clothes?
0:18:33 > 0:18:38We want to show how it happens by looking at a single factory.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Hazar Tekstil works for many leading brands.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47Its website names Next and the online giant ASOS.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53The factory tells us most of its work comes from these two companies.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We ask to see a recent order they have worked on.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12And they bring us a set of Next pyjamas with a distinctive pattern.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Next later told us that it stopped using Hazar in December.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It says the pyjamas were made by another supplier,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26but that Hazar may have been asked to make a sample.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The supply chain is complicated.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Hazar doesn't actually make most of its orders.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It uses subcontractors.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42So we don't believe, in this factory here,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46you'll find any Syrian refugees or Syrian children working.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50But we know that when you visit the subcontractors, you'll find
0:19:50 > 0:19:55the Syrian refugees, and you may very well find Syrian children.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59And for us to find out who and where the subcontractors are,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02we have to follow those vans.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13But that's the truck just ahead of us there now.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Istanbul isn't the easiest place to follow a vehicle.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29It's bloody difficult trying to follow this truck in this traffic.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Should I go down that way? I'll go that way.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It's not that way, we can see that way.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53No, I think we missed it. We lost it.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01OK, eyes peeled. See it? I see it, yes, I see it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05OK, back on its tail now.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Thought we'd lost it there for a while.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15We follow Hazar's vans over several days to find
0:21:15 > 0:21:17its network of subcontractors.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24One of the vans takes us to this workshop.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32We ask to see something they've been working on.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39These are lovely, this is very good quality, it's...
0:21:39 > 0:21:44'The label says Next. It's the same pyjamas we were shown at Hazar.'
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Are they stitching this from the cut pieces?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Next later told us that both factories may have been
0:22:01 > 0:22:05overselling when they claimed to work for Next.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It also said that...
0:22:10 > 0:22:12..and that they do not indicate that production
0:22:12 > 0:22:15took place in the factory.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20The factory owner then tells us they are also making ASOS clothes.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36On the factory floor, we find Turkish children working.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41This girl is 14.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47And this girl is just ten years old.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54The factory later tells us the children were only here
0:22:54 > 0:22:58because they were being looked after by relatives in the school holidays.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02But our secret filming shows they were working.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And there are Syrian refugees working here too.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Syria?
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Syria?
0:23:15 > 0:23:16Ah.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19The factory says they are not exploited.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25And both the factory owner and Hazar now deny making clothes for Next.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31ASOS told us it didn't know its clothes were being made here,
0:23:31 > 0:23:32as it's...
0:23:36 > 0:23:40It says it has since inspected and found five Syrian adults
0:23:40 > 0:23:42working illegally, but...
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Worker exploitation of any kind, particularly child labour...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57But critics say retailers ARE at fault.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Their demand for cheaper production leads to corners being cut.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07For every product, there's a price below which it's impossible
0:24:07 > 0:24:11to produce that product in a safe and responsible fashion.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Right now the prices that factories are getting for their products
0:24:14 > 0:24:18across the garment industry are below that threshold in many cases.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21The retailers all deny this,
0:24:21 > 0:24:26but the Ethical Trading Initiative recognises there is a problem.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29This is a sector which has serious problems around margins
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and pushing the race to the bottom across various different countries.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Is there a simple answer when there are
0:24:36 > 0:24:39so many brands sourcing from so many suppliers? No.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Is there a recognition there's a problem and some effort
0:24:42 > 0:24:44to try and change that? Yes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50By following their delivery trucks,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54we've uncovered a second subcontractor used by Hazar.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57We're keeping watch outside.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Hang on, look up, look up.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05We see a child loading up another of Hazar's delivery vans.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20He's obviously working.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32But we need to get inside to find out what's actually going on.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Immediately, we spot something interesting.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43A Hazar label on a jacket.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And if you take a look at the label,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49this item is being made for ASOS.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57The owner isn't keen on us visiting the factory floor.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59And this may be why.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The first worker we see is the boy we witnessed loading the Hazar van.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11ASOS says it has never found a child worker
0:26:11 > 0:26:15in its approved factories in Turkey.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20But there are Syrian children here.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31We are identifying them because ASOS has offered
0:26:31 > 0:26:34to financially support any child workers
0:26:34 > 0:26:36so they can return to school.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43ASOS says this is not an approved factory,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47but it accepts its clothes were made here.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56When it inspected, it found three Syrian children under 16,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59but we think there are more.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02ASOS says it will also pay all the adult refugees it found and...
0:27:07 > 0:27:09The company says it is doing this...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16The main factory, Hazar...
0:27:26 > 0:27:29The retailers all say exploitation is unacceptable
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and the situation in Turkey is complex.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38But our investigation shows that the brands don't always know
0:27:38 > 0:27:42how or where their clothes are being made.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Are there bad practices in the industry? Absolutely.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Is there a need for change? Absolutely.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49There are many criticisms which are justified of the industry,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52but I think there needs to be a recognition that some are
0:27:52 > 0:27:54trying to change those dynamics.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Brands need to understand that they are responsible
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and it's not enough to say,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03"We didn't know about this, it's not our fault."
0:28:03 > 0:28:06They have a responsibility to monitor and understand where
0:28:06 > 0:28:08their clothes are being made
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and what conditions they're being made in.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16In Turkey, too many brands simply don't know who is
0:28:16 > 0:28:22making their clothes, and until they do, Syrian refugees and children
0:28:22 > 0:28:25will continue to be exploited.