Current Issues in Sweatshops in Developing Countries

Running head: CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
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CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1
The term sweatshop refers to a workshop or factory, mostly manufacturing clothing,
and providing impoverished working conditions for the employees. Developing countries
have seen a rise of sweatshops in the current age of globalization but it comprises several
issues like the problems of health hazards, the problems of underpayment for workers and
moral and ethical issues involved. The thesis focuses on the exploration of the problems of
health facilities and poor wages for the workers and the ethical dilemmas of the consumers
across the world.
One of the major current issues involving sweatshops in developing countries is the
problem of putting the health and safety of the workers at risk. Apart from long working
hours, the workers are prone to several health threats like inhalation of smoke and dust, lack
of proper ventilation and exposure to harmful chemicals and electric wires. In a recent survey
carried out in the textile factories of Bangladesh, it was observed that “the factories were not
cleaned, dusty, hot and humid, noisy, crowded by the workers and safety signs are not
properly marked” (Khandker et al., 2016). Furthermore, the workers in sweatshops face
several respiratory problems like chronic cough and asthma. These problems scarcely
addressed or taken care of by the organizations. This leads to an increase in exhaustion and
difficulty of their tasks. Another problem concerning the health conditions of the workers is
the lack of proper sanitation facilities provided in the workplaces (Bair, Anner & Blasi,
2017). Fire hazards and risks of skin burn is also a common problem faced by workers at
garment sweatshops. The aforementioned complications make working at sweatshops a
problematic affair for the workers.
The issue of underpayment for the workers characterizes sweatshops all over the
world. “They pay very low wages for long hours of work and the workers have no rights
within them. They receive no benefits, and are often subject to physical and verbal abuse and
sexual harassment or worse” (Indermun & Bayat, 2014). The problem of underpayment exists