Sweatshops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sweatshops - Essay Example While this might appear to make sense on paper, a deeper analysis proves otherwise. Those who make this assumption fail to understand that some of the sweatshop workers are skilled and educated. In addition, when workers are paid poorly, it only helps grow a society filled with illiterate and unskilled individuals. The cycle of poverty then continues. Should the poor continue to be poor just because they are poor? First, sweatshops expose the workers to indecent working and housing conditions and strip them off their human dignity. For instance, in the documentary titled Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh, Jim Keady highlights the pathetic life of Nike sweatshop workers in Indonesia. Workers are forced to share a small house with poor basic facilities. For instance, Jim and his partner were asked to live in a small 9 by 9 cement box, with no air conditioner and without furniture. The bathroom and toilet are shared, and the sewer lines are open. Under such conditions, workers are exposed to various diseases like cholera and typhoid. It becomes difficult for such workers to offer their families a descent life, and this also exposes their children to diseases and other dangers. As described by Jim, such living conditions strip one off his or her dignity. Furthermore, the working conditions in the sweatshops are not friendly. Most of the workers are subjected to all forms of abuses in the factori es, including sexual, verbal and physical abuses. Women, who are the majority of the sweatshop workers, are forced to take birth control and pregnancy tests so as to stop them from having children. They are denied the right to have families. This is also particularly the case for the vocal workers who attempt to fight for their rights or form independent labor unions. Overall, the working and living conditions of sweatshop workers are discouraging and violate basic human rights. Secondly, sweatshop workers are poorly paid. For instance, in the