Sweatshops

Sweatshops

We very seldom think of where our clothes come from, and how they are produced. Just take a minute and pull the tag out of the shirt you have on and read the label. Does it say that it was made in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, or some other third world country? This may come as a shock to some, but some of the most recognized brands in the stores, are so successful due to their usage of sweatshops. Nike, Gap, Disney, Wal-Mart, and Tommy Hilfiger make up a fraction of the large list of companies that use sweatshops to fabricate their products. I bet you never thought of where those Air Force Ones came from, or where your friends Tommy sweater was made. But after this paper, hopefully you'll think twice about buying a specific article of clothing, and maybe make the effort to try and find a product that was made from someone like you and me, who was paid normal wages, and didn't have to work in conditions suited for humans.

Just for a little background on the whole "sweatshop" term. A factory is classified, as a sweatshop if it violates two or more of the most basic labour laws including child labour, minimum wage, overtime and fire safety laws. In Indonesia for example, there is quite a few resources, which they have on their little island. They are rich in petroleum, tin, natural gas, timber, copper, coal, gold and silver. There isn't any reason why there are such a large number of its people living in extreme poverty, but there is seven million who do. Seeing how they don't have any other sources of income, they must rely on working for an international company to help them along the way, even if it does involve working in some conditions which man never thought was possible to work in before. They are paid about a dollar a day and can work up to 24+ hours a day and go with very few breaks through out their day. Today the issue is finally being brought to the