LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Syrian refugee children have beenworking in factories in Turkey making clothes for British highstreet retailer Marks & Spencer and online store ASOS, an investigation by BBC Panorama found.
The investigation, to be broadcast Monday evening, foundSyrian refugees as young as 15 working long hours for littlepay, making and ironing clothes to be shipped off to Britain.
BBC journalists took photographs of Marks & Spencer labelsin the factories. Some Syrian refugees worked 12-hour days in afactory distressing jeans for fashion brands Mango and Zara,using chemicals with inadequate protection, the BBC said.
An M&S spokesperson said: "We had previously found noevidence of Syrian workers employed in factories that supply us,so we were very disappointed by these findings, which areextremely serious and are unacceptable to M&S."
An ASOS spokeswoman said: "It's a subject we take incrediblyseriously. But it would be wrong for us to comment on reportingwe haven't seen."
M&S said it was working with the Turkish supplier to offerpermanent legal employment to any Syrian daily workers employedin the factory.
Turkey has been a main entrypoint for refugees from theongoing conflict in Syria, with three million estimated to beliving there. Ankara in March signed a deal with the EU to stemthe flow of refugees into the bloc.
A Reuters investigation this year also found evidence ofSyrian refugee children in Turkey working in clothes factoriesin illegal conditions. (Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Marks & Spencer (MKS)