One thing that has always really upsets me when it comes to producing garments, well actually producing any product, is child labor. The problem of child labor exists throughout the world. According to 2002 estimates from the International Labour
Organization (ILO), about 246 million children aged 5-17 years are working worldwide. 50% of these children can be found in Asia, however, the largest percentage of working children are in Africa (around 1 in 3) while 14-20% of the children work in Latin America. It makes me think, when I look at a label and see that its made in China, India or somewhere in Africa it is more than likely that children have made it. The textile and garment industry is one of the major contributors guilty of such an issue. Only 5 % of the child labor goes toward export oriented industries such as manufacturing and mining. They say that because of natural disasters,poverty, economic crisis, and HIV/AIDS there has been decreasing opportunities or access to alternative work other than child labor. Which really is an horrendous thought. To think of all these little kids slaving away to create a jumper or shirt that I throw on and wear happily around each day makes me feel sick.
Right now in some dingy, cold, unhygienic working environments that these kids are made to work in they are being caused danger to their health and safety. Most of these children are taken from their families and forced to work hundreds of miles from home where there is no regulation of their working conditions. These work places are often lacking even basic hygiene, their breaks are few and far in between, there is hardly any access to nearly enough food or even water, and som
etimes they are even beaten. Some of the machinery that these kids have to run are big and dangerous and hazardous to their safety. They work long, monotonous hours too and with meagre pay. All of this must have such a tremendous effect on
these children's growth and development, and they are open to disease and injury. There have been copious reports describing poisoning, infections, chronic lung disease, burns, amputations, skeletal deformities, and impairments to hearing, vision, and immune function. It all makes me think of myself as a kid and the circumstances I was brought up in. How is it that today in a world of such rich resources, wealth, knowledge, technology and innovative ways to go about any problem we wish, child labor, one of the most age-old obviously immoral, wrong and upsetting issues can't be eliminated? Does it always come down to the $? It seems it does, even at the cost of working little kids in to the ground.
A child works in a textile factory in Dhaka. It is common in Bangladesh for children of poor parents to work in various hazardous and labor-intensive workplaces to support their families. The average child laborer earns between 400 to 700 taka per month, while an adult worker can earn up to 5,000 taka per month.
I found a newspaper article that pinpointed this issue of child labor in India and how it really does come down to money: In a survey of the textile markets in Rajasthan, there are hundreds of children deprived of education and other basic human rights. They are forced to do tedious jobs in more than 50, 000 shops of 140 textile markets in the city. They get minimal daily wages of Rs20 to Rs50 for a 10-14 hour day. Healthier children are chosen to carry weights up to 100kg on their backs developing hunches by the time they are 25. Others worked 10 hours in the dark for Rs50. Most of them were scared to talk to the reporters because they were scared of severe reprisal from their employers. The worst part is they don't seem to understand what's wrong with the work they have to do at such a young age. One questioned "My parents sent me from Rajasthan to earn for the family. What is wrong in it?". And here is what disgusted me the most... A contractor for transporting goods to the textile market said, " For an adult, we have to pay Rs125 to Rs150 per day, but for children just Rs50 to Rs75 per day is enough. So, we employ them." Is it really all about cosy-cutting? What is more cost-productive? What churns more money? Shunting aside social responsibility, human rights and worse morality?
It's funny, when you're practicing to become a designer all I've been focused on is the design and using these fabulous fabrics to create some piece of art, something fabulous for people to have in their wardrobe. I haven't previously, up until having to research this all, even considered while picking out my fabrics and through my design process that some of the fabrics I may want to make up my design or collection have been made by children from the age of five in awful working conditions half way across the world.
That half way across the world that I am talking about is actually home for me. Africa, where this has been happening under my nose for years, and yes of course I've known about it but do I like to stay naive to how a garment or textile is really produced? Yes, I think we all do in some way? But that is just inexcusable now. This is an issue we just cannot ignore anymore. On all fronts, this issue of child labor needs to be addressed. Employers of child labor must be tackled, and employment sectors at risk should sign up to codes of conduct that are monitored and enforced.
Resources: (Venkateswarlu, D., Kasper, J., Mathews, R., Reis, C. & et al. (2003). Child labour in India: a health and human rights perspective. T he Lancet: Extreme Medicine, 362, s32-3. Retrieved August 17, 2010, from Academic Research Library. Document ID: 521938241 Thomas Scanlon. (2002). Child labour. Student BMJ, 10, 354. Retrieved August 17, 2010, from Academic Research Library. (Document ID: 210404591; Green, B. (2008). Organizing for Defeat: The Relevance and Utility of the Trade Union as a Legitimate Question. http://sf5mc5tj5v.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2 Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft .genre=article&rft.atitle=Organizing+for+Defeat%3A+The+Relevance+and+Utility+of+the+Trade+Union+ as+a+Legitimate+Question&rft.jtitle=Labour&rft.au=Brian+Green&rft.date=2008-10 01&rft.issn=0703862&rft.issue=62&rft.spage=153&rft.externalDBID=LBLT&rft.externalDocID=1618868181; Case Study: " Is Child Labor Really Necessary in India's Carpet Industry? ww.american.edu/TED/rugmark.htm; Bhatt, H. (2010). Child Labor a prevalent menace in textile menace. Times of India.) |
No comments:
Post a Comment