The dark side of Christmas: Inside the factories where children are forced to make gifts and toys

Millions of us enjoy shopping for the perfect gifts for Christmas – gleaming Barbie dolls in shiny pink boxes or cosy jumpers wrapped under the tree. Twinkling high street shops blast out Christmas tunes, but beneath the holiday cheer lies a dark truth. 

Life for the people making these gifts can be bleak. As demand for products skyrockets, pressure builds for factory workers worldwide. Many face poor pay, abuse, dangerous working conditions and in some cases are killed for fighting for their rights.  

Some of the workers making our Christmas gifts are children. 

Big Issue speaks to people demanding change – a former child worker who is now one of Bangladesh’s most prominent activists, investigators who uncovered the reality of a factory making Barbie dolls, an organiser supporting workers in Leicester and other campaigners. 

Together, they weave a story of workers facing harrowing circumstances across the world in the run-up to Christmas and beyond. 

‘The working conditions were harsh. I did not know what the law or my rights were’

It is believed that around 160 million children worldwide are subjected to child slavery and labour. That is almost one in every 10 children. 

Kalpona Akter was 12 when she started working in a sweatshop in Bangladesh. 

Her father was the primary earner in the family, and he got ill. Her mother worked, but she had to quit because she became sick and had a baby at home, so Akter and her 10-year-old brother stepped up. They put food on the table for their family of seven. 

“The working conditions were definitely harsh – long shifts, verbal and physical abuse. That was how our life was,” Akter recalls. “I did not know what the law or my rights were.” 

There were 93 workers who went on strike. Ninety-two of them were men. Akter was the only girl to go on strike. This experience propelled Akter into union activity. 

“I learned something beautiful. I learned that I had a right to organise. That blew my mind.  The following morning, I went to the factory, and there was a butterfly in my stomach. I started telling the other workers what I learned. 

After two years, workers called a strike because managers announced they would pay less for overtime. “I had to buy new clothes for my sister and brother and a meal for them. I didn’t want to lose that money. So I joined the strike.” 

“And then we started organising. It wasn’t easy. It was tough. The manufacturers gave us a hard time. But some of us had the courage to raise our voices and make a difference.” 

After a year, Akter was fired and blacklisted. Eventually the union hired her as a labour educator and union organiser – and since then, she has never stopped. Now in her 40s, she is president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers’ Federation and executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity. 

Union action has grown in Bangladesh, but there is still a long way to go. Akter claims she has two co-workers who were “brutally tortured and beaten to death” and one who disappeared – for acts as simple as helping workers get outstanding payments. 

“I want to see a dignified job for factory workers,” Akter says. “That is what I dream for.” 

In this Barbie world, there is a ‘constant culture of harassment’ 

More than 100 Barbie dolls are sold every minute. Barbie products from brand Mattel remain as in demand as ever. But who is making them? 

This year, a human rights activist went undercover in the Chang’an factory, the sole Barbie production site in China from spring 2024. Her investigation with China Labor Watch and ActionAid France found a “constant culture of harassment which renders women silent”.  

Peak periods like the run-up to Christmas see more than 10,000 workers employed at the factory, while there were fewer than 2,000 during the investigation. 

“These periods are the worst for the workers, where the pressure is at its peak,” says Salma Lamqaddam, women’s rights campaigner at ActionAid France, of the festive period. “From the testimonies we have gathered, it’s also where there’s a peak of gender-based violence.” 

ActionAid has investigated the working conditions in factories used by Mattel for 30 years.  

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“We have documented the overworking and physical strain imposed on workers, and the high protection targets that push workers to the point of physical exhaustion,” Lamqaddam says. 

Workers have to produce two products a minute and take few breaks to meet targets. Some limit their water intake so they don’t need the toilet. They work six days a week, 10 hours a day, with between 84 and 110 overtime hours a month. Basic wages are said to be so “inadequate” that workers are dependent on overtime to feed their families. 

They are allegedly exposed to hazardous substances, sometimes without protective equipment, and several people told the investigator they received insults, verbal abuse and public humiliation from their managers. 

“This constant culture of harassment is an operational tool to render women silent and unable to organise or demand that their rights are respected. What we’ve seen is very frightening. We have widespread sexual harassment within the factory, abuse and physical intimidation,” Lamqaddam says. 

Barbie has become a feminist symbol, especially since the film starring Margot Robbie was released last year, so she asks Mattel: “Who is this feminism speaking to if it falls short of the women making the Barbie dolls?” 

ActionAid outlines a series of recommendations for Mattel: give workers a minimum living wage, reduce working hours, ensure better conditions and combat gender-based violence. 

Mattel did not respond to the Big Issue’s request for comment but previously said it is “committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment and ensuring that all employees throughout the company, including at our manufacturing facilities, are treated fairly and respectfully. The company invests significant resources to support our employees and ensure their wellbeing.” 

Lamqaddam adds: “This factory is no worse than others. It tells the story of what it is to be a working woman or man for a big corporation in China.” 

About 75% of toys all over the world are produced in China. There are around 290 million migrants from poor agricultural regions who work making toys, gadgets, textiles and more. 

It is believed that the conditions may be worse when subcontractors are present, and this situation is seen worldwide.  

Jay Kerr of campaign group No Sweat explains: “A big brand will be point to a factory that has all the bells and whistles for workers earning at least a legal minimum wage, no child labour, maybe even a trade union might be represented, and that’s fantastic. 

“Then we’ll find out work is being subcontracted to a factory down the road when none of that exists. It’s literally a shack with no windows, just holes in the walls, children working in cramped conditions with no ventilation.” 

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It’s having a direct impact here in the UK, at Christmas and beyond  

Forced labour impacts around 22.7 million people across the world, and it affects the UK. 

Sian Lea, business and human rights manager at Anti-Slavery International, said: “The UK is at high risk of being a dumping ground of products made with forced labour right now.” 

The EU has approved a law banning imports of products linked to forced labour practices – meaning that these may be rerouted to the UK where there aren’t such tough laws. 

It might seem a distant issue, but forced labour happens here too. Nail salons have been known to use “trafficked individuals”, and agricultural workers are believed to be vulnerable to exploitation – meaning your Christmas dinner may have links to forced labour. 

In factories, the worst cases are often found in Leicester, with manufacturers notorious for allegations of modern slavery and dangerous working conditions. Scandals around factories used by fast-fashion brands like Boohoo have led to change, but not enough.  

Kaenat Issufo, community and engagement lead at Labour Behind the Label, who works directly with workers in Leicester, says, “it seems like it has become like a habit to accept things rather than fight it”. 

“A typical factory would look like cables lying around, boxes everywhere, obstructions. Toilet conditions are not good. There will only be one toilet used by all the workers, men and women. There are no sanitary facilities. Sometimes they won’t have toilet roll,” Issufo explains. 

Workers often miss breaks, which can cause long-term health conditions such as back problems. “Sometimes they get told they’re not allowed to use the toilet unless they are at break or lunch, including men with prostate conditions, pregnant women and women on their periods. They get monitored on how many times they’ve gone to the toilet.” 

Factories get particularly busy in the run-up to Christmas. Issufo says workers rarely get breaks over this period and are made to believe there is no job security if they take leave. 

Leicester has a large migrant population, and language barriers mean people struggle to understand their rights. Issufo’s family migrated from India and her mother and sister worked in the factory. Her father could not find work. Employers often hire women in factories over men, Issufo says, because they believe women are less likely to know their rights. 

As a nine-year-old, Issufo did most of the paperwork in the house because she was the only one who could write and read a little English. “Everything was on my shoulders. I had to go through that mental stress, rather than concentrating on having a good time in school. Hobbies were restricted because of the financial situation. We had to pay rent.” 

Issufo’s mother and sister were paid half the national minimum wage, not questioning it because they believed their employer was “doing them a favour”. This year, workers from India told the BBC they accepted between £3 and £5 an hour at factories in Leicester.  

Issufo says she speaks to mothers in tears because their children are asking for branded items that are too expensive for them because they need to put food on the table. Many are put on zero-hour contracts without realising it. 

“There’s no job security. These workers don’t know how many hours they’re going to be doing that day. That brings mental stress, because they don’t know whether they’ll be able to pay rent. Workers are there because they can’t get a job in a better sector,” Issuffo says. 

There’s also a lack of transparency around subcontracting, which means it is difficult to know just how many factories are open in Leicester and to then enforce regulations.

Make a change this Christmas 

“We need a national minimum wage to be paid to every worker,” Issufo says. “We need factories to be registered. We need brands to be transparent. We know factories are getting orders, because they are busy, and we know that these factories are earning profits.  

“We know that the factories can afford to give the national minimum wage to the workers. They can give permanent contracts. We need to fight for these policies to come through.” 

When shopping for Christmas gifts this year, Issufo suggests people think about buying from brands that are making products ethically and paying their workers. Most advice will tell you to do your research, avoid cheap products and fast-fashion brands. 

Campaigners agree that responsibility doesn’t lie with the consumer, and boycotting brands may not be the best option. Lamqaddam points out that boycotting Mattel could actually be more damaging for workers who depend on that employment to survive. 

It is up to brands and policymakers to create proper change, but every one of us can contribute to a movement in which they have no choice but to act.  

There are small steps you can take to make a difference – writing to your MP and calling on the government to step up with stronger regulations, buying from ethical brands, or supporting campaigners and unions by signing petitions and going to protests. If more of us raise our voices, maybe one day, those gifts in Santa’s sack won’t come from a sweatshop. 

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