End Labor Exploitation in the Fashion Industry
Workers in developing nations should be given more rights, work in safer conditions, and not be exploited for their labor.
Labour exploitation is a form of modern slavery that forces people to work for cheap labor, endure unsafe conditions, and/or get paid little for their work. "Only an estimated 2% of fashion workers around the world are paid on a living wage" according to Fashion Revolution.
Labor exploitation occurs when workers are forced to use their skills through coercion. It is not solely in the fashion industry; it occurs in the agriculture, construction, and technology industries. There are many ways in which the employer(s) can exploit their workers. The employer(s) in underdeveloped nations can lock workers inside the building until they are done, not give bathroom breaks, pay under $1 a day, physically/verbally/sexually abuse, and threaten their employees. Additionally, these laborers are exposed to toxic chemicals, non-air conditioned buildings, and dirty/old/weak structures.
Due to the materialistic culture in many developed nations like America and the United Kingdom, people want cheap clothing at a fast pace. In underdeveloped countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, fashion companies outsource labor there because people are willing to work for less. However, this comes at a cost to both the workers and our planet. The workers' health suffer, and so does the health of our planet because of the pollution emitted, as well as the textile waste. Children as young as eight years old will work in these factories (and miss school) to provide for their families. "10 million children are in forced labour" according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
We have a moral obligation to these abused workers and ought to hold fashion brands accountable for their sanctioning of unfair treatment. Our purchases, no matter the price, hold power, and buying from immoral brands perpetuates the abuse, threats, and potential deaths/injuries that laborers put up with. While it may seem that the treatment of garment workers is out of our control, that is not entirely the case. The main reason these brands can continue their unethical actinons is due to demand; therefore, not buying from these companies, and boycotting them, will make them rethink their labor practices.
Hello! My name is Sonia, and I chose to make my activist project about labor exploitation in the fashion industry because I recently made an attempt to be more sustainable. I took an interest in advocating for garment workers' rights because of what happened to factory workers in 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh (pictured at the top of the page). Evaluating the items I buy allows me to be a more ethical and environmentally-conscious consumer.