he beauty of a hand woven carpet is inextricably linked to the people who make it. Yet today approximately 300,000 children weave the rugs that adorn North American and European homes. RugMark offers hope to these children. For over a decade RugMark’s child-labor-free certification has made a meaningful difference in South Asian carpet weaving communities while transforming the industry that impacts them.
Faces of Freedom offers a look into the heart of that transformation. This traveling photo exhibition, part of RugMark's Most Beautiful Rug Campaign to end child labor, takes you behind the looms and inside the carpet factories of South Asia. The images, captured by photo documentarian, filmmaker and human rights educator U. Roberto Romano, are displayed in their entirety on this website. The printed photographs, displayed in venues across North America through the end of 2009, will connect you to the positive, real-life difference made by RugMark and the companies that participate in its independent certification program.
About RugMark
RugMark is an international nonprofit organization working to end exploitative child labor in the handmade carpet industry and offer educational opportunities to children in India and Nepal. The RugMark label is your best assurance that no illegal child labor was used in the making of a carpet or rug
Since 1994 RugMark has helped to reduce the number of child carpet weavers in South Asia from one million to 300,000. Now more children are going to school and living with hope for the future. This is the single most beautiful thing about an imported rug.
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You can help RugMark end child labor and provide educational opportunities for children by making a tax-deductible donation today.
RugMark USA is a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 of the U.S. tax code.
Buy a Rug
An imported rug that was made using child labor is ugly no matter what. So look for the RugMark child-labor-free certification label. It's a mark of integrity and beauty.
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You will automatically be entered in an online raffle to win a 3 x 5 Marisol Chili rug by Company C, certified child-labor-free by RugMark.
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Collections
- Carpet Manufacturing and Inspection
- Child Labor
- Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education
About the Photographer
U. Roberto Romano
Award-winning human rights educator, filmmaker and photographer U. Roberto Romano began his activism on the issue of child labor in 1995…
Read more…Upcoming Events
| Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| January 23 - 25, 2009 | South Asian Awareness Network (SAAN) | Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 2 - 6, 2009 | Russell Rotunda Exhibit | Washington, DC |
| March 3, 2009 - April 9, 2009 | Iqbal World Premiere, The Children's Theater | Minneapolis, MN |
