In the news

“We work from morning to night. They don’t let us play. I want to go home, but he said he wouldn’t let me go home,” said Joginder, one of the rescued children from a bangle making sweatshop in India.

Police found 87 children – mostly boys and some as young as 6 years old – crammed into a bangle-making workshop in the old city area in the latest raid on Thursday.

Five days earlier, police discovered 220 children when they stormed similar workshops in another part of the city, arresting more than 20 suspects.

This occurred in 2015 which displays how currently relevant this issue still is. You don’t have to look too hard to find another incident similar to this one, which suggests there are still so many hidden stories yet to be told.

For the full story:
http://www.catholic.org/news/international/asia/story.php?id=58659

10 Tips For Shopping “Fair Labor”

Wanting to support fair labour? ..A few great tips to follow!

Global Love Shopping

All the sites and Info you need to shop for ethical products you’ll love.  Even one of these will make your experience oh so easy. Get ready to “bookmark” some incredible websites!

1. USE GLOBAL LOVE  for your shopping.
Search for items by category or use our search engine. Stay connected as we update and post new catalogs, products, businesses, and other shopping resources. Also follow us on Facebook and feel free to check out the businesses we “like.”

2. PINTEREST.
Seriously, this is a great way to browse and seek out products. Follow Global Love Shopping on Pinterest to view products, neatly categorized, as they are launched, and get in on sales, giveaways, and other special treats. If you love a brand, follow their board!

3. BOOKMARK FairPages.com and use as a product search engine.

4. START A WISHLIST to let people know the fair trade items you would…

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Behind the Apple

Apple has been under criticism for the use of sweatshops to produce their products, an American news show reported on the factory and what happens behind closed doors.

It was shocking to discover most of the workers are young teenagers who appear to be exploited into working long hours and are then cooped up inside small dorm rooms. The physical and mental impact the working conditions were having on the adolescence is self-explanatory by the suicidal nets placed around the building. In recent years 18 workers have jumped from the Apple building.

“I want them to know we’ve put a lot of effort into them, and when people use it; use it with care”, says a young female worker who has never seen a fully working iPad despite engraving the logo into the tablet every day.

Despite the attempt to recognise the impact our highly demanding society is having on sweatshops, this issue is still a reality for thousands of workers.

SweatFree

It is all good and well to recognise aproblem, but it’s another to take action. That being said, how do we stop poor conditions in sweatshops?

Unfortunately it is not a one answer question and there are definitely no quick fixes, but everything has to start from something. Here are a few steps to start the momentum of change:

1. Petition against companies who use sweatshop labour
This can be done through sending letters to companies demanding their unethical practices to stop or sending petitions to the government in order for them to take action against these companies.

2. Speak up and get the message across
Share your knowledge with others and get them on-board to solving the sweatshop dilemma

3. Don’t buy it 
As a consumer you have a powerful voice through what you chose to buy, after all it is about money for companies and if they are not getting your business they will change their practices,

It would harm countries and their economies if sweatshops were to completely disappear, therefore the solution is to improve their conditions with higher wages, better working conditions and reasonable shift hours. Therefore, the best solution is to get companies to source their products from fair trade suppliers.

 

 

“Reality Check”

Three Norwegian youth explore the place where their clothes are sewn. The reality show documents their experiences of sweatshops and seeing the harsh realities for the first time. The impact that it has on the crew is evident as they are unable to comprehend the lives people live.

“You think you know; you think you know it’s bad,” Hambro says. “But you don’t know how bad it is before you see it.”

This sums it up well because although many people may have some knowledge of where their clothes are made, they are not influenced enough to stop buying the product. It takes a person to physically see and experience these people’s lives to understand the severity of the situation. It is an unfortunate circumstance, if people were able to respond in the same manner as those who visit countries living in poverty, there would be an opportunity for change to occur.

Read more on this topic >> http://www.ecouterre.com/reality-show-sends-fashion-bloggers-to-work-in-cambodian-sweatshop/

“I want to earn enough money to avoid being married off to a stranger”

When talking about sweatshops as a broad issue it is hard to comprehend the impact that it is having on the individuals’ central to the problem.

Meem is a nine year old girl working in a sweatshop factory 12 hours a day. She went from a school girl to doing back breaking work in disgusting conditions. The lifestyle is so common people in the area don’t see anything unusual about this little girl not finishing school to work in a factory. When an undercover reporter worked beside this girl in a sweatshop, Meem revealed her dream is to become a sewing operator because she will do a good job and not be yelled at. She continues to explain she wants to earn enough money to avoid being married off to a stranger. Meem’s story is one of thousands, so next time you are enticed to buy a cheap item of clothing, picture Meem.

Read the full article > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456412/My-life-sweatshop-worker-Undercover-reporter-tells-crushing-work-terrible-pay-girl-boss-aged-just-NINE.html

#whomademyclothes

A vending machine offering t-shirts for 2 Euros was placed in Berlin. The consumers were confronted with a video revealing how the t-shirts were made and in what conditions. People are constantly after bargains, but don’t often consider at whose expense.

Sweatshops often have poor working conditions, unfair wages, unreasonable hours, child labour, and a lack of benefits for workers. Therefore, the products being produced can be sold to us for cheaper. Creating awareness about this widespread issue, is the first step to solving the problem. This video shows 8 out of 10 people chose to not support sweatshops, displaying people do want to make a difference.

They were presented with a question… Purchase the t-shirt or donate it to the cause. What would you do?

If you would like to support this campaign visit > http://fashionrevolution.org/get-involved/support-us/

Sweatshops, what are they?

Sweatshops are factories within the clothing industry that exploit their employees which often includes young underage children. They work in extremely poor conditions where they can be subject to verbal or physical abuse and are deprived of a living wage. Many companies use sweatshops because it is cheap, whilst we pay $50 for an item the workers receive a few cents for their hard work.

So where does this occur?

Sweatshops are most common in South America, China, Indonesia and India, but are not limited to these places as this is a widespread issue driven by consumers wanting cheaper products. China is one of the largest producers of products through sweatshops, with their workers earning approximately 44 cents an hour.

Want to know more? Visit > https://www.oxfam.org.au/explore/workers-rights/