GoodWeave International (formerly known as Rugmark) is a network of

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

s dedicated to ending illegal

child labour Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

in the rug making industry. Founded in 1994 by

children's rights Children's rights or the rights of children are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.

activist and

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

winner

Kailash Satyarthi Kailash Satyarthi (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian social reformers of India, social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and advocated the universal right to education. In 2014, he was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace ...

, it provides a certification program that allows companies that pass inspection to attach a logo certifying that their product is made without child labour. It is an example of a product-oriented multistakeholder governance group. Nina Smith, Executive Director of GoodWeave International explains:

Media coverage

Media outlets worldwide have given detailed coverage to Rugmark (now known as GoodWeave). For example, ''The

PBS NewsHour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stat ...

'' reported, "GoodWeave offers a labeling system that guarantees that no child labor was used in making the rugs." According to the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'', the organization "has helped drastically reform the hand-knotted carpet industry in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

" ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' said, "GoodWeave's model centres on extensive monitoring and auditing at every stage of the supply chain," ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' concluded, "Rugmark is not just a symbol of quality. Its appearance on imported hand-knotted rugs is intended as a signal to consumers that child labor was not used in the production process." Channel 4 News in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

observed, "Rugmark is the best scheme for ensuring that carpets are slave free". Responding to concern about violation of children’s rights during the 1980s,

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

organizations in Europe and India, along with

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

-India and the Indo-German Export Promotion Council, a German government agency, developed the program to provide assurance to consumers that the oriental carpets they were purchasing were made by adults rather than exploited children, and to provide for the long term educational and rehabilitation of children found working illegally on

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

s. The program was formally launched in India in the fall of 1994 and expanded into Nepal in 1996. Thereafter, negotiations with programs in Germany, Nepal, India, and the U.S. resulted in the formal creation of Rugmark International. An international constitution was adopted in May 1998.

Goodweave standard

Rugmark International re-branded the certification program and introduced the GoodWeave standard-based certification label in 2009. The organization was also re-branded as GoodWeave International. Certification requires assessment against three generic principles and sector-specific principles covering either carpets or home textiles as applicable. The generic standards are: *Principle A1: No child labor is allowed *Principle A2: No forced or bonded labor is allowed *Principle A3: Conditions of work are documented and verifiable.Goodweave International
GoodWeave International Generic Standard
accessed 4 January 2021 Today the international network comprises producing country offices in India, Nepal and Afghanistan; and consumer country programs in the US, UK, and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. GoodWeave International is responsible for licensing throughout Europe and North America.

References

{{reflist

External links

GoodWeave International website
Business ethics organizations Development charities based in the United States Charities based in Washington, D.C. Fair trade organizations Child labour-related organizations Organizations established in 1994 Foreign charities operating in India Foreign charities operating in Afghanistan Foreign charities operating in Nepal