Urge Walmart, Target, & Macy's To Stop Classic Factory!

Abuses are occurring at Classic Factory, which is becoming known as the "rape factory" in Jordan and you can help stop it.

A young woman who goes by the name Nazma to protect her identity is one of the dozens of Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi young women who have been sexually assaulted by supervisors at Classic Factory in northern Jordan, which makes clothes for American brands like Walmart, Target, and Macy's said, “We only went to Jordan to earn money to help our families; we had no idea that factory managers would rape so many of us young girls. All we can do is cry” she said.

Leading up to next week’s trial against a Classic supervisor charged with rape -- the first such trial -- managers are escalating abuses. Supervisors are locking victims and witnesses in the factory, and threatening and intimidating them to ensure they will not testify.

Although the Jordanian government promised that Anil Santha, the manager accused of rape, would not be allowed to return before the trial, he's back on the factory floor. Despite global outcry over Classic’s abuses and the tactics they’re using to dodge justice, international customers like Walmart, Target, and Macy's are still buying Classic clothing while claiming that they are investigating conditions at the factory, but they're deferring to the Jordanian Ministry of Economy and Labor -- which claims there is no evidence of sexual abuse. Conditions are getting worse for these women. In addition to imprisoning them inside the factory, managers are removing all the male workers -- in some cases even deporting them -- cutting the staff to older male supervisors and vulnerable young women.

At Classic's urging, the government also arrested the leader of an outside human rights NGO and took his passport to prevent him from intervening to protect the women at the factory.

Given the critical situation on the ground, Classic Factory workers, consumers, and human rights organizations, are urgently calling on these high-profile companies to immediately condemn human rights abuses and force change. We ask people who buy Classic garments, to end this abuse and torture. These women should be able to work without fear of sexual assault. Now is a critical moment for action. Outside pressure and attention can ensure that victims and witnesses are freed and can testify against their rapists -- and that Classic Factory reforms its policies and practices. Otherwise, the manager and supervisors will continue to imprison, assault, and rape girls and women with renewed impunity.

Please click here now to sign a petition to urge Walmart, Target, and Macy's to force Classic Factory to free imprisoned victims and witnesses -- and end its human rights abuses and violence against women.

Please tell Wal-Mart, Hanes, Target, Macy’s, Lands’ End, Kohl’s and Jones Group to immediately end the sexual abuse, rape, torture, and beatings of young women guest workers at the Classic factory in Jordan.


Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Patrick and the Change.org team