Hard Labor in Bangladesh

1052 Words3 Pages

Most people believe hard labor is bad in third world countries, and they are right. The conditions in a sweatshop are not acceptable; the laws do not do anything for the workers, and the workers work long hours for little pay. Many people do not think of where their clothes are made, or who made them. In the book “Where Am I Wearing?” the author Kelsey Timmerman takes the readers on a journey to where his clothes were made. In the book he describes to readers the sweatshops conditions, he mentions a few laws and he talks about a worker named Afria and her lifestyle as a garment worker. Getting into a factory in Bangladesh takes a lot of work. The author himself had to lie about who he is and why he was there just to get in. The author, Kelsey Timmerman, met with the general manager of the Motorola store, Dalton, where there they discussed how Timmerman would get in. Timmerman was told to lie to the factory owner in order to get in, he said he was a garment buyer and was interested in their products. When Timmerman finally got into his first factory he was entirely shocked at the fact that most of the workers were not children but adults. People believe that all factories/sweatshops are using children as workers, but it was not the case in this factory in Bangladesh. Although the workers were not children still do not define how they are treated. Workers get hurt on the job and the owner will just give them a bandage and let them continue working. Owners of factories do not care nor appreciate their workers; they just want their garments to be done the right way. Owners should be respectful to their workers. Considering the fact that the workers need to work in order to support their family, the owners do not care about them, whi... ... middle of paper ... ...ce on a journey to sweatshop factories and the lives of an everyday garment worker. Labor laws need to be enforced. The people should help, and the owners need to be more respectful. Laws should be created to protect the workers, sweatshop conditions should be improved, and workers need to speak up for themselves. Works Cited Kedmey, Dan. "World." World Fire Guts 10Story Garment Factory in Bangladesh Comments. Wordpress.com, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. Perkins, Frances. "Bangladesh." Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor -. N.p., 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. "Sweatshops in Bangladesh | War on Want." War On Want. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. Timmerman, Kelsey. "Walmart, 112 Dead Bangladeshis and You." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2013 Timmerman, Kelsey. Where Am I Wearing? Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.

Show More
Related

  • the trounle with sweatshops

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    The controversial issue of sweatshops is one often over looked by The United States. In the Social Issues Encyclopedia, entry # 167, Matt Zwolinski tackles the issues of sweatshops. In this article Matt raises a question I have not been able to get out of my head since I have begun researching this topic, “ are companies who contract with sweatshops doing anything wrong?” this article goes on to argue that the people who work in the sweatshops willingly choose to work there, despite the poor environment. Many people in third world countries depend on the sweatshops to earn what they can to have any hopes of surviving. If the sweatshops were to shut down many people would lose their jobs, and therefore have no source of income. This may lead people to steal and prostitution as well. this article is suggesting that sweatshops will better the economy by giving people a better job than what they may have had. Due to this the companies contracting with sweatshops are not acting wrong in any way. This was a deductive article it had a lot of good examples to show how sweatshops are beneficial to third world countries. Radly Balko seemed to have the same view point as Matt Zwolinski. Many people believe the richer countries should not support the sweatshops Balko believes if people stopped buying products made in sweatshops the companies will have to shut down and relocate, firing all of the present workers. Rasing the fact that again the worker will have no source of income, the workers need the sweatshop to survive. Balko also uses the argument that the workers willingly work in the current environments.

    Read More

  • Issues Of Sweatshops

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mayer, Robert. "Sweatshops, Exploitation, and Moral Responsibility." Journal of Social Philosophy, vol. 38, no. 4, Winter2007, pp. 605-619. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1467-9833.2007.00401.x.

    Read More

  • Sweatshops In The 1800s

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Look down at the clothes you're wearing right now, chances are almost every single thing you are currently wearing was made in a sweatshop. It is estimated that between 50-75% of all garments are made under sweatshop like conditions. Designers and companies get 2nd party contractors to hire people to work in these factories, this is a tool to make them not responsible for the horrendous conditions. They get away with it by saying they are providing jobs for people in 3rd world countries so its okay, but in reality they are making their lives even worse. These companies and designers only care about their bank accounts so if they can exploit poor, young people from poverty stricken countries they surely will, and they do. A sweatshop is a factory

    Read More

  • Taking a Closer Look at Sweatshops

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    The mere idea of sweatshops, let alone their existence, seems cruel and unusual to people like us, especially in today's day and age. After all, in sweatshops "workers are subject to extreme exploitation. This includes... (not) enabling workers to cover ...

    Read More

  • Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit For A Global Age

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.

    Read More

  • Focus Documentary, Made In Bangladesh: The Fifth Estate

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    The documentary effectively utilizes a logos and pathos approach to highlight the unsafe working conditions of the Bangladeshi garment workers. The positive aspect of this documentary is the firsthand accounts of the hazardous conditions and the focus on what has been done to better the situation, and where the large retailers are still lacking in their ethical responsibility to ensure safe workspace. Thus, CBC’s documentary is an educational piece that brings forth the current state of the Bangladesh garment factory after Rana Plaza, and implores for heightened responsibility from the government and the retailers in

    Read More

  • Sweat, Fire and Ethics by Bob Jeffcott

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is often said that products made in sweatshops are cheap and that is why people buy those products, but why is it behind the clothes or shoes that we wear that make sweatshops bad? In the article Sweat, Fire and Ethics by Bob Jeffcott is trying to persuade the people and tell them how sweatshops are bad. Bob Jeffcott supports the effort of workers of the global supply chains in order to win improved wages and good working conditions and a better quality of life of those who work on sweatshops. He mentions and describes in detail how the conditions of the sweatshops are and how the people working in them are forced to long working hours for little money. He makes the question, “we think we can end sweatshops abuses by just changing our individual buying habits?” referring to we can’t end the abuses that those women have by just stopping of buying their products because those women still have to work those long hours because other people are buying their product for less pay or less money.

    Read More

  • Human Rights in Ender´s Game by Orson Scott Card

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shah, Anup. "Child Labor." - Global Issues. Anup Shah, 17 July 2005. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of NAFTA

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sweatshops are factories that violate two or more human rights. Sweatshops are known in the media and politically as dangerous places for workers to work in and are infamous for paying minimum wages for long hours of labour. The first source is a quote that states that Nike has helped improve Vietnamese’s’ workers lives by helping them be able to afford luxuries they did not have access to before such as scooters, bicycles and even cars. The source is showing sweatshops in a positive light stating how before sweatshops were established in developing countries, Vietnamese citizens were very poor and underprivileged. The source continues to say that the moment when sweatshops came to Vietnam, workers started to get more profit and their lives eventually went uphill from their due to being able to afford more necessities and luxuries; one of them being a vehicle, which makes their commute to work much faster which in turn increases their quality of life. The source demonstrates this point by mentioning that this is all due to globalization. Because of globalization, multinationals are able to make investments in developing countries which in turn offers the sweatshops and the employees better technology, better working skills and an improvement in their education which overall helps raise the sweatshops’ productivity which results in an increase

    Read More

  • The Role of Sweatshops in the Global Economy

    2486 Words  | 5 Pages

    I. Introduction A sweatshop is a workplace where individuals work with no benefits, inadequate living wages, and poor working conditions (Dictionary.com). Sweatshops can be found all around the world, especially in developing nations where local laws are easily corrupted: Central America, South America, Asia, and in certain places in Europe (Background on Sweatshops). China, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Bangladesh are the main places where most sweatshop products are made (McAllister). Often, sweatshop workers are individuals who have immigrated and are working in other countries.

    Read More

  • Essay Benefits Of Sweatshops

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sweatshops, when left to operate without government intervention, are the most efficient way out of poverty especially in developing countries. This argument may feel far fetched, but when examined in the context of those working at sweatshops and the locations sweatshops are most often constructed in, the reason why this is true is apparent. The benefits of sweatshops can be found by examining how they increase living conditions, examining the locations where sweatshops are constructed, and looking at how government regulations on factories don’t help anyone.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Oppression In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    The individuals in Omelas attempt to forget who they oppress in order to maintain their perfect environment. The child of Omelas is stripped of its rights as a human and forced to live in gruesome conditions. “The floor is dirt, a little damp to the touch, as cellar dirt usually is. The room is about three paces long and two wide: a mere broom closet or disused tool room” (LeGuin 4) This child is pushed away from society. The people of Omelas understand that this goes on, but intend to do nothing about it. This concept is involuntary followed by not only the people of Omelas but people in the real world. Just like the residence of Omelas, we oppress factory/garment workers who are forced to live in harsh conditions and fight to keep our needs happy. In his short article, “California’s Garment Workers Reveal…” Davis goes out into the field to explore the conditions and neglect that garment workers face. Davis then interviews a woman who is the head of a labor advocacy group. “ imagine what that heat might feel like with no ventilation,’… Rough conditions—working 10 or more hours a day…baking-hot room…part of the job ” (Davis, Chris. "California 's Garment Workers Reveal: Sweatshops Aren 't Just a Problem Overseas." TakePart. N.p., n.d. Web.) These garment workers work endlessly to meet the needs that the big businesses set. Just like the outside entity that controls the rules set for the

    Read More

  • Kelsey Timmerman's Where Am I Wearing And Where AM I Eating?

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    As she tells Timmeran about her own experiences involving the factory in Cambodia, the reader can see the Nari is grateful for her job, despite the unsatisfactory circumstances. Due to her uneducated, rural background, Nari’s dreams to open up her own beauty salon and provide for her family would probably go unrealized without her job at the factory (Where Am I Wearing? 122). Although the conditions are poor in comparison to American standards, the workers need the jobs the factories provide. Timmerman describes the “reality of the workers’ lives as harsh,” but says that “they don’t want you to boycott their products to protest their working conditions.” Overall, workers would like to work less and make more, but receiving $50 a month is more of a necessity than better working conditions (Where Am I Wearing?

    Read More

  • Sweatshops And Globalization Essay

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Americans do not realize the amount of clothing we wear on a daily basis is actually made in Cambodia, such as Adidas and even the Gap. The women that work for these sweatshops in Cambodia sew for 50 cents an hour, which is what allows stores in America, such as H&M to sell inexpensive clothing (Winn, 2015). The conditions these Cambodian workers face are a noisy, loud, and extremely hot environment where people are known for having huge fainting attacks. When workers were on strike a year ago, authorities actually shot multiple people just because they were trying to raise their pay. There is plenty of evidence of abuse captured through many interviews of workers from different factories, and is not just a rarity these places see often or hear of. Factories hire children, fire pregnant women because they are slow and use the bathroom to much, scream at regular workers if they use the toilet more than two times a day, scam hard working employees with not paying them their money they worked for and more, and workers are sent home and replaced if 2,000 shirts are not stitched in one day. Expectations are unrealistic and not suitable for employees to be working each day for more than ten

    Read More

  • Child Labor in Pakistan

    1803 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Worst Form of Child Labour – Pakistan.” Globalmarch.org. Global March Against Child Labour, n.d. Web. 02 January. 2012.

    Read More

More about Hard Labor in Bangladesh

Open Document