Not so fashion

      

   Behind the runways and the catalogs remain the questions of, “Where do all of these clothes come from?” and “Who makes them?”.  A good amount of clothes in past decades, and in some cases nowadays, come from sweatshops, also known as a sweat factory. “A sweatshop is a pejorative term given to a work place that is operating under unacceptable conditions. Originated between the 1830 and 1850, sweatshops are found around the world, especially in developing countries” (Sweatshops 1). Children, lacking the legal age, can be found working in fashion industries in terrifying conditions.

 
One of the most important reasons the fashion industry has earned its horrible reputation is because of the child labor allegations. Child labor interferes with the rights, health and social development of children. The increase of brands and retailers, and the search for cheaper clothes in big quantities contribute to this awful practice of cheap labor. Children are added to the labor force to satisfy the brands demands, producing big amounts of products because of the exaggerated hours being worked for an outrageously low wage. Poverty is another key element in this environment. According to the International Initiative to End Child Labor, there is an estimated number of children of around 211 million working illegally between the ages of 5 to 14; an amount of these children are found in sweatshops in China, Thailand, India, and across the nations. Brands such as Gap, Zara, H&M and even Walmart are publicly known for child labor incidents; and textile fabric factories, like silk and cotton, have also been involved. This practice can contribute to the development of psychological problems and diseases because of the poor working conditions they undergo (Labor & Workalike).                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                             

Unhealthy and dangerous working conditions contribute to the negative image the industry has. The poor health conditions such as health and safety hazards give rise to dangerous space for employees in sweatshops. Dangerous working conditions can vary; it can go from small failures in the sewing machines that cut off a finger to factories collapsing, like in April 2013 in India (BBC News). The country of Bangladesh, the world’s second largest apparel manufacturer, can be an example of working sweatshop conditions found a couple of years ago. Bangladesh’s textile industry has, slowly, but significantly made improvements.  Advancement in working conditions, safety standards and job protection have been made. Also, the International Labor Organization has introduced a trust fund to raise money for the survivors of the Rana Plaza disaster (Ghosh).

The daily abuse that men, women and children have to endure in sweatshops environments can become a problem, creating a tense and dangerous working space with future potential of violence. There have been cases that in illegal sweatshops, police have beaten and fired employees. Also, because of the absurd hours the employees have to work and the low wages they receive, employees do not earn enough money to buy necessities such as food nor they receive medical treatment. The mistreatment many people receive is still seen to this day.  It continues to affect the health and well-being of not only children, but adults too.

Works cited

"Bangladesh Factory Collapse Toll Passes 1,000." BBC News. 18 Oct. 2016.                  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22476774

"Children Found Sewing Clothing For Wal-Mart, Hanes & Other U.S. & European Companies -   National Labor Committee." Labor & Worklife Committee,      http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/lwp/NLC_childlabor.html. 18 Oct. 2016.

Ghosh, Palash. "Despite Low Pay, Poor Work Conditions, Garment Factories Empowering            Millions Of Bangladeshi Women” .IBTimes.http://www.ibtimes.com/despite-low-pay-poor-work-            conditions-garment-factories-empowering-millions-bangladeshi-women-1563419. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

"Sweatshop." New World Encyclopedia, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sweatshop              18 Oct. 2016.