Documented Research Essay: Current Issues in Sweatshops

This essay examines the current issues surrounding sweatshops in developing countries, focusing on health hazards, worker underpayment, and ethical concerns. The author highlights the risks faced by workers, including exposure to dangerous chemicals, poor ventilation, and long working hours, leading to respiratory problems and other health issues. Additionally, the essay discusses the issue of underpayment, where workers are exploited through low wages and denied basic rights. The ethical dimensions of sweatshop labor are also addressed, emphasizing the role of employers and consumers in perpetuating or combating these practices. The essay concludes by acknowledging the complexity of the situation, noting that while awareness and consumer action can help, the issue is difficult to solve as sweatshops often provide the only source of income for workers in developing countries. The essay uses research to support its arguments and calls for increased awareness and respect for the rights of workers.

Running head: CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
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1CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
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

2CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
in the sweatshops of garment industries because the owners tend to open manufacturing units
in developing nations that offer labor at cheap rates. Hence, the laborers are often exploited
by being made to work for long hours without being adequately paid for their services. In this
aspect, it can be said that the owners or managers of these workshops do not cater to the basic
needs and rights of the workers. Moreover, the workers in developing countries do not have
enough choice when it comes to the option of switching workplaces. These companies
provide the sole source of their income, providing them with the bare minimum to run their
livelihoods. According to Garyfalakis (2015), the fundamental labor rights of the workers are
exploited by the sweatshops, by not granting them the liberties from forced labor, working for
extra hours, and providing basic working facilities. Moreover, she also mentions that denying
such primary essentials to the workers may in turn make ethical buyers abstain from using
products manufactured in sweatshops.
The threats of health problems and underpayment for the workers lead to the issue of
morals and ethics on part of the employers as well as consumers. Sweatshops in the Asian
countries often engage in child labor to reduce costs (DoSomething.org, 2019). Therefore, the
ethical behavior of the employers are a matter of serious concern. Moreover, consumption
patterns in recent times have also shown an inclination towards considering the working
conditions of the manufacturing companies. In an article on consumer attitudes, Phau, Teah
and Chuah (2015), have opined that a recent tragedy in a garment factory at Dhaka has made
the media shed light on the importance of buying ethical goods all over the world. The article
has focused on luxury clothing manufactured in sweatshops terming them ethical offenders
due to the violation of the rights of their workers. Consumers have often resorted to
boycotting such unethical products but it is difficult to identify the source of the garments due
to triangular manufacturing. The ethics and morals of the consumers can be upheld by
spreading awareness about sweatshop culture and supporting companies that respect the

3CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
rights of the workers. However, a distinct solution is difficult to attain as the boycott of
sweatshops can have adverse effects on the livelihood of the workers.
Thus, in conclusion it can be said that sweatshop culture is a complex system that
constitutes the problems of health facilities for the workers, non-payment or underpayment of
wages by the employers, and ethical offenses of exploitation. However, it is quite difficult to
provide a solution to these problems, as sweatshops are the sole means of income for the
workers in developing countries. A general awareness spread among the consumers may
alleviate the hazards faced by the laborers, as the blood and sweat of people working in
sweatshops needs its due respect.

4CURRENT ISSUES IN SWEATSHOPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
References
Bair, J., Anner, M., & Blasi, J. (2017). Sweatshops and the search for solutions, yesterday
and today. Unmaking the global sweatshop: Health and safety of the world’s garment
workers, 29-56.
DoSomething.org. (2019). 11 Facts About Sweatshops. Retrieved 20 July 2019, from
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-sweatshops
Garyfalakis, R. (2015). Essay Essentials with Readings (6th ed., p. 286). Nelson Education
Limited.
Indermun, V., & Bayat, M. S. (2014). A Focus on Corporate Governance and the
Relationship with Business. Singaporean Journal of Business, Economics and
Management Studies, 51(1123), 1-15.
Khandker, A. S., Ahmad, S. A., Khan, M. H., Faruquee, M. H., Yasmin, R., Dutta, S., ... &
Sarwar, A. F. M. (2016). Perceived Workplace Hazard and Health Problem among the
workers of Garment Factory in Dhaka.
Phau, I., Teah, M., & Chuah, J. (2015). Consumer attitudes towards luxury fashion apparel
made in sweatshops. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 19(2), 169-187.