PETITION CONSUMERS DEMAND CARPETS WITH THE RUGMARK LABEL To the child, we cannot answer "Tomorrow." The child's name is "Today." They deserve to grow up in a world in which they may experience normal physical and mental development and realize their full potential as human beings. Children making carpets are deprived of these basic rights. Hundreds of thousands of children are enslaved, producing Oriental carpets for export to the United States and other industrialized countries. These children are mistreated, denied a childhood, and deprived of an eduction. We, as consumers, refuse to perpetuate this exploitation. Therefore, we commit to buy only hand-knotted carpets with the official RUGMARK label. This label assures consumers that the hand-knotted carpet is made free of child labor. We urge you to make these carpets available to consumers. We will not buy an Oriental hand-knotted carpet from any country unless it has the RUGMARK label. Moreover, we urge U.S. importers to work with the RUGMARK Foundation in South Asia to voluntarily impose a two percent surcharge on carpets imported into the United States, earmarked for the rehabilitation and education of former child workers in this industry. Such action is obligatory, as importers have helped perpetuate this exploitative situation through buying carpets made by children. RUGMARK is supported by international child welfare groups, including UNICEF-India and the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude. NAME ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ 1Gabriela Mistral, Nobel Prize-winning poet from Chile. Page 1 NAME ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ The U.S. RUGMARK Consumer Education Campaign is a project of the Child Labor Coalition, a group of over 45 national organizations. Please return petitions by October 31, 1995, to the Child Labor Coalition, c/o National Consumers League, 1701 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006 telephone (202) 835-3323.