From the number of people I saw hauling huge Primark bags filled with clothes along Oxford Street today, their business does not appear to have been too seriously dented by last night's BBC Panorama programme exposing use of child labour by some of its suppliers in India.

To be honest, when the story appeared on Sunday night's Ten O'Clock News, along with news of the discount clothing store's pre-emptive response in sacking the three Indian factories, my immediate reaction was, "Another group of children who will now end up in prostitution or more abusive work environments..." It therefore comes as no surprise to me to learn that the retailer has been criticised on precisely this point by development charities working in the area. Its director, Breege O'Donoghue, has defended his actions by maintaining, “The relationship was broken.” However, that simply serves to underline again how "throw-away" relationships have become in the West. Our individualistic, consumer mentality tells us that if we don't feel personally satisfied by our circumstances and relationships, then we should get out and find alternative options that might better fulfil our individual needs.

No, if we claim to be ethical consumers in today's global village, then Western companies surely have a responsibility to retain and retrain suppliers that fail to meet our ethical standards? And that means each of us also has responsibilities:

• as customers, to realise that the issues involved in trying to make "ethical" purchases are far more complex and interwoven than simply looking for the right brand, logo or kite mark;
• as shareholders, to exercise what influence we can to promote greater awareness and engagement with the challenges facing our poorer global neighbours; and
• as citizens, to question whether our choices and actions are socially and globally responsible, promote a climate of trust and hope, and encourage others to develop positive relationships in their families and communities.