preview

Child Labor And Sweatshops

Decent Essays

Child labor and sweatshops are illegal in almost every country. However, they continue to exist all over the world, including in the United States. Sweatshops are factories where workers work long hours under poor conditions, and make very low wages. Sweatshops produce many different goods, with clothing being the majority produced. Sweatshop workers in developing countries are often deprived of normal lives, mistreated by employers, and placed in harsh conditions that may cause long term health problems.

It’s tragic to think that in this day and age, child labor still exists. Poverty and lack of schools are considered to be the main cause of child labor. An estimated 168 million children aged 5 to 14 are forced to work, in developing countries, …show more content…

Factories have been found with padlocked emergency exits, large quantities of poorly kept flammables, expired fire extinguishers, and poor building construction. In 2013, the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1,000 Bangladeshi garment workers. This had a direct correlation to unstable infrastructure of the building. Additionally, workers also often times, exposed to hazardous toxins. According to The Guardian, 90% of jeans made in China contain synthetic indigo dyes, which are extracted from coal tar. Researchers from the documentary RiverBlue, tested water near denim factories in Xintang, China, and found neurotoxic and carcinogenic metals in 17 out of 21 water and sediment samples. According to a University of Vermont report on Levi’s, “The cheapest type of denim dye is sulfur-based, which is extremely damaging to the health of people exposed to it, and to the environment. It tends to remain in wastewater even after treatment.” Workers in this field have higher rates of bladder and nose cancer, likely due to exposure of benzidine, a cancer-causing chemical found in synthetic dyes. Then we have sandblasting, a technique that gives jeans it’s distressed look. In Turkey alone, sandblasting took the toll on the lives of 8,000-10,000 workers, within only 2 years. This is due to silicosis, a disease caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica. Denim jeans treated with the sandblasting technique often charge up to triple the price of normal jeans! Brands such as Levi’s, developed “corporate code of conduct” guidelines for sandblasting operations, but many of the sandblasting subcontractors do not have the technical or financial resources to implement those measures. Unfortunately, children and immigrants without work are so desperate that they cannot refuse the job, regardless of the deadly

Get Access