Children in Sweatshops Unveiled

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Sweatshops Unveiled
“An estimated 211 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working around the world, according to the international labor organization” (“Stop Child and Forced Labor”). Sweatshops are a dilemma that the world has been dealing with for quite a while. Contrary to popular belief, sweatshops still exist and cause damage worldwide. Numerous amounts of businessmen and women believe that sweatshops are a necessary aspect in order for the global economy to grow. However, that is not the case; it actually is the opposite (ILRF). Some companies that still use sweatshops are slowly being unveiled through the media, most of which are American corporations (“Policy Debate”). The United Sates government should take necessary legal action to shutdown sweatshops because sweatshops negatively affect the global economy, are being used by major American corporations, and endanger the lives of innocent children who work within them.
Sweatshops are creating a “race to the bottom” that is harmful to the global economy. A race to the bottom is when companies or countries compete with one another to lower costs, by reducing wages and giving their employees horrible working conditions. Since poverty stricken developing countries take advantage of their workers and pay them little to nothing, big corporation choose to manufacture most of their products in countries where this is happening, just to cut down on production costs. This makes the community of people who work within manufacturing jobs lower their standards of wages to maintain their jobs (IRLF). If workers are being treated right it helps the economy; “When workers rights are protected, workers everywhere benefit” (IRLF). Enforcing workers rights helps the economy...

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...es.” Continuetolearn.uiowa.edu Child labor Public Education Project. N.d. Web. 3 March 2014.
ILRF. “Creating a sweat free world.” Laborrights.org. n.p. 2008. Web. 6 February 2014.
ILRF. “Stop Child and Forced Labor.” Laborrights.org n.p. 2008. Web. 4 February 2014.
ILRF. “Sweatshops Frequently asked Questions.” Laborrights.org. n.p. 2008. Web.2 February 2014.
ILRF. “2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame.” Laborrights.org. n.p. 2009. Web. 4 February 2014.
“Nike FAQs.” Globalexchange.org. Global Exchange. 2011. Web. 24 February 2014.
“Policy Debate: Does the antisweatshop movement help or harm workers in low wage economies?” swcollege.com n.p. 2002. Web. 7 February 2014.
Wong, Annabelle. “Two faces of economic development: The ethical controversy surrounding U.S. Related Sweatshops in the Developing Asian Countries.” Globalethicsnetwork.org. n.p. 2013. Web. 5 February 2014.

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