I was a child sweatshop worker - Nasreen Sheikh in Toronto to tell Canadians the truth about fast fashion

Nasreen Sheikh wants to tell Canada about her life as a child sweatshop worker forced to sew the fast fashion we wear everyday.

Nasreen was a child sweatshop worker in Nepal from age 9. She worked 15 hours and made $2/day. If she hit her garment quota for the day.

“Imagine being 9 or 10 years old and working for that many hours. And I would say, “Whoever is going to wear these clothes, I hope they can feel me. I hope they can see my tears. I hope they can feel my blood. And I hope they can just give me the chance to be free of this suffering.”

~ Nasreen Sheikh

Miraculously, Nasreen escaped that life. Today, she is a world-renowned advocate against child labour who has been featured on TEDx, Jay Shetty, Cosmopolitan and the Chicago Tribune, among many others.

Nasreen is visiting Canada for the first time in April as the Keynote Speaker, presented by World Vision and Fairtrade Canada, at Toronto's Buy Good Feel Good Expo on April 12th, 2019.

Nasreen is available for interviews on Thursday, April 11th, 2019.

About Nasreen Sheikh

Forced into a garment sweatshop at the age of 9, Nasreen was a child labourer working 15 hours a day sewing clothes for Western brands. Destitute and desperate, she asked a stranger to help her learn. After receiving education and support from this kind stranger, Nasreen founded a fair trade sewing collective in Kathmandu that empowers disadvantaged women with skills, education and fair wages.

At 21 she fought against a forced marriage, becoming the first women from her rural Indian village to escape a life of gender-based violence and poverty. Today, Nasreen is a world renowned speaker on gender justice and an anti-sweatshop advocate working to end child labour and forced marriage.

Fast facts about child labour:

• Millions of children work in the $284-billion global garment sector
• More than 1,200 companies operating in Canada are at high risk of importing good connected to child or forced labour.
• In February, the Government of Canada’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights released a report looking at the connection between child labour and the goods Canadian corporations sell. Further consultations were announced for a possible legislation on supply chains.​
• Nareen's Keynote is presented by World Vision Canada and Fairtrade Canada.
• Tickets to Nareen's Keynote Address on April 12th, 2019 are $25 (link below)
• Admission to Buy Good Feel Good is free Saturday and Sunday (April 13 and 14) at the Enercare Centre in Toronto.