Quality hand-stitched soccer balls have been made in the Sialkot region of Pakistan for generations. Typically, the panels were cut in factories and transported to villages and area stitching centers. In 1995, when we entered the global soccer ball market, we learned that as many as 20% of the stitchers were children.

Consistent with our commitment to human rights, we knew we had to find a way to manufacture soccer balls without child labor. We led the way in the creation of an industry collaboration that included the participation of the International Labor Organization, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the Sialkot, Pakistan Chamber of Commerce to address the longstanding problem of child labor in Pakistan. We then insisted that our supplier build a state-of-the-art soccer ball-manufacturing factory that centralized all production into one facility, including stitching.

The factory in Sialkot opened in 1997. Monitors were put in place to help ensure that children do not work in the factory and that soccer ball panels are not transported outside the factory where children might be used to perform the work. Since then, tens of thousands of soccer balls have been produced that proudly bear the label "Guaranteed: Manufactured Without Child Labor." (SEE THE VIDEO)

Today, our monitors continue to regularly inspect the factory to help ensure compliance.

Building a Better Future

To help families and displaced child workers in the Sialkot region, we support educational initiatives in Pakistan. The first project was the creation of the Chaanen Institute for Child Labor Rehabilitation. The Institute focuses on education and technical training for former child workers and children of factory employees, and provides education and outreach to families in the community.