Sweatshop Workers Enslaved to Large Corporations

Many large companies use sweatshops in order to decrease production costs of products. The workers in these sweatshops are in a truly terrible situation. Often it is the only job available to them, and therefore it is absolutely necessary in order to support the family. At the same time, it requires long hours with little pay, so every hour spent at home is spent asleep. The workers are separated from their families and spend their lives making products so that large companies can benefit by reselling them. Many people aren’t aware of the work that goes into the products they buy at stores, but if they are able to become more informed then their shopping habits may change.

Wal-Mart is one of the main offenders when it comes to the use of sweatshops and foreign labor. They seem to be the most exploitive company out there. The sweatshop workers are in terrible positions. Financially they are helpless, and this is definitely not helped by the sweatshops. Many have the option of living in dorms provided by the company. Unfortunately, this isn’t much of an option. Even if they choose to live at home, they have rent for the dorms taken out of their paychecks. The working conditions are disgusting and unhealthy, but they have no choice but to return every day in order to support themselves and their families.

Sweatshop workers are also threatened and blackmailed to lie to the inspectors who come in and view the working conditions. In one documentary on the subject, we see a young girl who was given a fake paycheck to show to inspectors and say that she was earning that amount of money. The entire business is backwards and wrong. This is particularly true of corporations who utilize child labor to run their sweatshops. The same principles of a regular sweatshop worker apply, only the worker is often below the age of 12.

In order to stop sweatshop worker exploitation, a regular person might feel fairly helpless. But it is an outrage that all of these things go on, and there have been many protests recently against the happenings. By getting involved with these, you can do everything you can to assist the protesting groups.