Opinion
Why Gap Should Rethink its Business in Myanmar
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As wages in China have continued to rise, global brands and retailers have looked for other countries to produce their products cheaply.
By Michael Posner
Four years ago, Gap, the clothing giant, boldly announced it would begin garment production in Myanmar. Promising to apply “best practices” on human rights, a company spokesperson called Gap’s production agreement “a historic moment for Myanmar.” Today, the case for Gap’s continued presence in that country is much harder to justify.
Recent reports from the United Nations and non-governmental groups have extensively documented the Myanmar government’s 2017 attacks against members of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, which the UN has termed crimes against humanity "perpetrated on a massive scale." Issued last month, the UN report accused the Myanmar military of murder, rape and "genocidal intent." The UN called for criminal prosecutions of leading government officials.
Some global companies have responded emphatically to the Rohingya atrocities. Facebook, for example, suspended the online accounts of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and a group of other senior officers in Myanmar’s military. Explaining the company’s action, Facebook spokesperson Ruchika Budhraja said: "We believe that their use of Facebook may have fueled ethnic and religious tension in Myanmar." In Facebook’s case, the company’s product was itself being exploited by government officials and their allies to promote violence against the Rohingya.
Read the full Forbes article.
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Michael Posner is a Professor of Business and Society and Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
Recent reports from the United Nations and non-governmental groups have extensively documented the Myanmar government’s 2017 attacks against members of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, which the UN has termed crimes against humanity "perpetrated on a massive scale." Issued last month, the UN report accused the Myanmar military of murder, rape and "genocidal intent." The UN called for criminal prosecutions of leading government officials.
Some global companies have responded emphatically to the Rohingya atrocities. Facebook, for example, suspended the online accounts of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and a group of other senior officers in Myanmar’s military. Explaining the company’s action, Facebook spokesperson Ruchika Budhraja said: "We believe that their use of Facebook may have fueled ethnic and religious tension in Myanmar." In Facebook’s case, the company’s product was itself being exploited by government officials and their allies to promote violence against the Rohingya.
Read the full Forbes article.
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Michael Posner is a Professor of Business and Society and Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.