Major Issues in Sweatshops - Essay Example

Lecturer Essay # Sweatshops A sweatshop can be defined simply as a shop or factory that employs workers at very low wages, workingfor long hours and in poor working conditions. Most of the workers employed in sweatshops are not offered benefits, and in most cases, are illiterate. Sweatshops are not only bad for the workers and the countries they are located in but also bad for America and the rest of the world. The common argument put forward by supporters of sweatshops, like that in the article by Nicholas Kristof (2009), is that they help unskilled workers gain skills and then further develop the economy. While this might appear to make sense on paper, a deeper analysis proves otherwise. Those who make this assumption fail to understand that some of the sweatshop workers are skilled and educated. In addition, when workers are paid poorly, it only helps grow a society filled with illiterate and unskilled individuals. The cycle of poverty then continues. Should the poor continue to be poor just because they are poor? First, sweatshops expose the workers to indecent working and housing conditions and strip them off their human dignity. For instance, in the documentary titled Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh, Jim Keady highlights the pathetic life of Nike sweatshop workers in Indonesia. Workers are forced to share a small house with poor basic facilities. For instance, Jim and his partner were asked to live in a small 9 by 9 cement box, with no air conditioner and without furniture. The bathroom and toilet are shared, and the sewer lines are open. Under such conditions, workers are exposed to various diseases like cholera and typhoid. It becomes difficult for such workers to offer their families a descent life, and this also exposes their children to diseases and other dangers. As described by Jim, such living conditions strip one off his or her dignity. Furthermore, the working conditions in the sweatshops are not friendly. Most of the workers are subjected to all forms of abuses in the factories, including sexual, verbal and physical abuses. Women, who are the majority of the sweatshop workers, are forced to take birth control and pregnancy tests so as to stop them from having children. They are denied the right to have families. This is also particularly the case for the vocal workers who attempt to fight for their rights or form independent labor unions. Overall, the working and living conditions of sweatshop workers are discouraging and violate basic human rights. Secondly, sweatshop workers are poorly paid. For instance, in the documentary cited above, Jim notes that the Nike workers in Indonesia are paid $1.25 dollars per day. Most workers in the sweatshops are forced to work for many hours, hardly having time for their families. The money earned is not enough to buy adequate food in a day. For instance, according to the DoSomething.org (n.d) group, it is estimated that in the year 2000, more than 11000 sweatshops violated the minimum wage and overtime rules. With such pay, the workers are unable to acquire basic goods and services such as health care and education. In the end, most of the children in such families are uneducated. This only helps to grow the poverty cycle since such children find it difficult to secure descent jobs in future. Most of them turn to prostitution and other social vices. Since the parents are poorly paid, they do not make any savings for their children. In the end, sweatshops only help to grow a population living in poverty. This is bad for both the host countries and the workers themselves. With unskilled and illiterate population, it becomes difficult for the country to grow its economy. Therefore, as companies like Nike continue to grow, the many sweatshop workers. This form of exploitation only helps to make few people in such companies very rich at the expense of the poor majority. Third, sweatshops are bad for developed countries such as America. Although America has strict labor laws, there are a number of sweatshops that still operate in the country. With sweatshops, as highlighted in the documentary cited above, America’s foundation of democracy is ruined. Sweatshops only help to enhance exploitation, which is against the American ideal of democracy. Although some may argue that is the way capitalism operates, but it actually helps to grow an unjust and unbalanced society. As pointed out in the article by Laura Clawson (2013), sweatshops are an issue morality. Even if they are located aboard, the effects caused by sweatshops are felt by other nations as well. Developed nations like America spend millions of dollars in aid to countries such as Indonesia. Furthermore, the increase in the number of immigrants into America from developing nations is in itself a burden to America. Therefore, in the modern globalized society, one cannot ignore what is happening in other countries. It affects us all. Finally, most sweatshops take advantage of cheap child labor to grow their businesses. They deny children their basic rights, such as the right to education. In the article by the DoSomething.org (n.d) group, it is estimated that in developing countries, 250 million children aged between 5 and 14 years are forced to work in sweatshops. If the world has to develop, it is common knowledge that children should receive good education and gain the necessary skills in life. However, when they are forced to work, their chances of getting an education are greatly reduced. In the end, this further contributes to the growth of an illiterate and unskilled society. Although some people may argue that sweatshops provide a better alternative for the poor, the discussion above shows that they only contribute to making the society poorer. They strip people off their dignity, deny them basic human rights and promote child labor. If left unchecked, sweatshops will stagnant the growth of most developing nations, and at the same time, countries like America will experience an increase in the number of poor, unskilled and illiterate persons. In order to tackle the problem of sweatshops, three solutions are proposed. First, companies like Nike should consider raising the minimum wage for the workers, and offer them support to have a decent living. Secondly, the rest of the world needs to take a stance and protest against such practices. This way, companies like Nike will realize that the majority of consumers worldwide are against their practices, and this may cause them to reevaluate their way of doing things. Finally, people need to be conscious when buying some of these products. Consumers need to buy products that have not been produced through sweatshops or those that have been produced at the expense of our natural environment. If companies continue to flood the market with sweatshop products, it is important that buyers reject them. Works Cited Clawson, Laura. The Biggest Myth Of All Time Is That Sweatshops Are Bad. Daily Kos Labor 2013: Web http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/09/1177632/--The-biggest- myth-of-all-time-is-that-sweatshops-are-bad#. Dosomething.org (n.d),. 11 Facts About Sweatshops . N.p., 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. Educatingforjustice.org. Nike Sweatshops: Behind The Swoosh. New Jersey: Educating for Justice, 2011. Youtube Kristof, Nicholas. Where Sweatshops Are A Dream. The New York Times 2009. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. Read More