The Problem of Sweatshops and Child Labor

Manufacturing A Better Life

America has always been considered to be the breadbasket of the world. The American people have found ways to make various products overseas without spending a lot of money. The factory employees however, have gotten the short end of the stick when dealing with the American companies. Not only have Americans taken advantage of less fortunate third-world countries, but they have also created unhealthy working environments. Regardless of gender or age, some companies subject their employees to harsh working conditions, under minimum wage payment, exhausting working hours, and even corporal and/or physical assault. These "Sweatshops" are still going on today and very little has been done. Many children are working in sweatshops at this present time. According to Chitra Divakaruni, "those children are sold to employers by their parents at the age of 5 or 6...these children, spend their days in dark, ill-ventilated rooms doing work that damages their eyes and lungs." These children are denied education, health care, proper nutrition, and their time. In addition, they are being paid next to nothing for the time that they work. To resolve the problem of third-world sweatshops, the American government should pass a Child Labor Prevention Act and the American buyers should force their foreign suppliers to insure better working conditions.

The United States Congress should pass the proposed Child Labor Prevention Act to help stop the exploitation of children by industrial companies. The United States must acknowledge child labor as a violation of fundamental human rights because it severely damages the health of children, places children in abusive situations, and impedes the social and cultural progress o...

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... conditions in the factories where they cut." By United States forcing their foreign suppliers to pay their workers more, the third-world nations will become more economically successful and will abandon exploitative labor practices; this would set a new and better labor standard for those backwoods countries.

More people need to start noticing this problem we have in the world. It is sad and cruel to have to hear about children working under such poor conditions. These children are being denied a proper education as well as health care. Without a proper education these children might have to work in these sweatshops for the rest of their life. Too many people are supporting these companies that use child labor to manufacture their clothes. Displaying what's going on in the factories, these children's work might change some people's minds on what they are wearing.