Exclusive-Walmart, Centric probe suppliers for potential links to Cambodia women's prison

A screengrab taken on August 17, 2023 from a Google Street View image dated January 2014 shows an entrance to Correctional Center 2, a women’s prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Google Street View/via REUTERS

PHNOM PENH/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walmart and Centric Brands are investigating their supply chains in Cambodia over allegations that inmates at the country's largest women's prison were illegally employed to produce garments for export, following questions posed by Reuters and inquiries from a U.S. industry group about labour practices there.

The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) wrote to Cambodia's ambassador to Washington, Keo Chhea, in November, expressing "strong concerns regarding credible reports" that inmates at Correctional Center 2 (CC2), near Phnom Penh, were producing garments and other textile products for export, including to the U.S., as part of a rehabilitation program.