| August 2008 - Society |
| August 2008 |
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Contraband Clothing Words Muhammad Atef Fares
The voice of second-hand clothing trader Abu Ali cuts through the dirt, heat and noise of the illegal used clothing market near Revolution Street in central Damascus. “You should be ashamed,” Abu Ali complains to a police officer as he confiscates a pile of used clothing that only moments before had been for sale. “You are taking my last source of life.” Abu Ali’s trade is technically illegal in Syria and his business has been closed – at least for today. Heaped on parked cars, hidden away under bridges and highway overpasses and tucked into narrow alleys, second-hand clothes can be found for sale in many places throughout Syria’s larger metropolitan centres. While the government has moved to introduce free-market principles into the country over the past few years, legalising a wide range of imports and trades which were once banned, the sale of second-hand clothing remains officially illegal. The trade flourishes, however, and from time to time illegal merchants like Abu Ali can be seen packing up their makeshift stalls and scuttling off in all directions in a bid to escape the attention of approaching police. Those working in the trade say they are simply trying to earn a living. What’s more, they contend they are providing an important service in a country where the average income is little more than SYP 15,000 (USD 325) per month. “It’s very well known that all around the world there are open-air markets where things are usually cheaper than in shops,” Hassan Snoubar, a Syrian-American second-hand clothing merchant, said. “For example, there are Samaramany charity shops in the UK. They sell second-hand clothes and other things that people give them. The trade in used clothing is one of those things which the government should take seriously.” Abu Fahd, another second-hand clothes trader, said while he was not happy working in an illegal trade, it was the only job he could find to support his family. “I know I’m causing trouble, but where should I go?” Fahd said. “I just give the policemen SYP 100 a day to leave me alone. I’m not happy doing that – it’s a high tax for me – but it’s better than running away every time I see a police car.” Abu Ali said the widespread public perception that traders like him sell stolen clothes is false. “It’s not fair to think of us as robbers or thieves,” he said. “Some journalists present us this way. Anyone can steal and rob, but we believe in God and we are just trying to make a living.” Threat to national industry The sale of second hand clothing is a global business. According to a report by international aid group Oxfam, the global trade in used clothing stood at USD 1bn in 2005 and made up 0.6 percent of all imports to the Middle East-North Africa region in 2003. The Syrian Government refuses to legalise the trade for a number of reasons. It holds the sale of second-hand clothing is a health risk. It also charges that groups of traders going about their business on Syrian streets gives the country a bad image, especially when it is trying to attract more tourists. Primarily, however, it contends the trade threatens the security of the nation’s ready-to-wear clothing industry, a major economic pillar and source of much employment in Syria. Many Syrians – both in and out of government – say such threats are exaggerated and claim the trade remains illegal because of undue influence on decision makers from leading clothing manufacturers who believe the sale of used clothing will bite into their profits. “Industrialists, who fear competition, say they want our national industry to develop and as such oppose the sale of second-hand clothing,” Safouh Naboulsi, office manager at the Damascus Economy Office, said. “But this is a ridiculous excuse. Let’s not forget that Syria has initialed an Association Agreement with the EU which will open the country up to foreign competition. Syria is also subjected to US economic sanctions. The sale of second-hand clothes, in light of these two challenges, does not threaten the national industry. Indeed, an extra element of competition will make it grow.” Time to legalise Naboulsi said it was time the government legalised the trade and moved to establish a quality control framework to govern it. “Syria is liberalising its external trade, opening its markets to many kinds of goods and these clothes should be able to be traded,” he said. “We don’t want the bad clothes, those which are dirty, unsanitary or have been used for a long time. The government should reject these. There is, however, a second kind which we need, those from Europe which are virtually ‘newclothes’. They may not be very well made, but they can be good and cheap.”
Salem Ghanim, a second-year university student, said while it was important to support Syrian industry by buying locally produced clothes, the chance to snap up a bargain was often just too tempting. “It’s better to wear national-made clothes,” Ghanim said. “But I just bought a shirt made in Spain and trousers made in Pakistan with SYP 300 which is hard to beat. I’m trying to be fashionable with a small amount of money. And you know, it’s a very cheap price for such a long journey between Spain and Pakistan.” |
For many Syrians the trade allows thin budgets to be stretched further, especially in a time of rising prices. “I usually come here to find something affordable for my children,” Abu Ahmad Nasri, a middle-aged history teacher, said as he made his way through a pile of used children’s clothing at a market in Damascus. “The price is not set which can be a problem because sometimes the seller takes more than he should, but it is never as high as new clothes.” Burrowing deep into the pile, Nasri pulls out a small pair of jeans in excellent condition. Checking the label he discovers they are made in Germany. Negotiations with the seller ensue and a price is reached. “A pair of German jeans for SYP 150 – how cheap,” he says. “They will be perfect for my youngest son. What a bargain.”