Law Assignment: Abolishing Sweatshops
Introduction
In North America, people have been fortunate enough to have labor laws and unionized jobs for nearly a hundred years. The memory of poor working conditions, mistreatment in the workplace and poor wages has all but faded from the concerns of modern generations. However, for the citizens of developing countries, slavery, abuse in the workplace and atrociously low wages have become the norm. This lifestyle supplies first world countries with fashionable items and clothing at a low price through sweatshops. While some justify condoning sweatshops for economic and political reasons, endorsing sweatshops threatens to reintroduce a discriminatory and narrow-minded mentality back into…show more content… In banning sweatshop materials from being distributed in Canada, Canadians would be obligated to buy clothing from cruelty-free organizations who provide an alternative workforce in impoverished countries. This can raise a worker's salary from $33/month to $69 a month, and would only cost consumers an average of 1.8% more on commercial items4. Canada has the power to significantly reduce sweatshops, but this holds greater value than simply minimum wage: it will prevent the sexual exploitation and physical abuse of so many men, women and children and is a step towards peace in these countries. Sweatshops are usually a stepping stone to getting trafficked into the sex trade; it is common for women to mysteriously disappear from sweatshop factories. It is even more common for employees to become victims of sexual assault by factory supervisors.5 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that members must also "...reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights...", corresponding directly to this aspect of sweatshops and obligating Canada to take action against this crime against humanity. And if this is not sufficient motivation to begin a boycott, sweatshops also cause thousands of deaths a year. One building collapse alone can kill thousands, due to the terrible conditions of the buildings workers are kept in, combined…show more content… In fact, Canada, for the third time in a row, is the most reputable country in the world7. However, Canada is fueling a cause that compromises both it's values and reputation. For example, Canada is a firm believer in human capital, prioritizes proper training and has the 7th best education in the world, which improves every year8.Condoning sweatshops challenges this aspect of Canada's personality, as all sweatshop employees are forced to work ridiculously long hours, inhibiting millions from going to school and getting an education. Furthermore, Canada is especially invested in a high standard of heath care, allocating billions of dollars to this department and guaranteeing no Canadian is denied access to health care based on their income.9 The sweatshops Canada is endorsing does not protect it's workers from the many health hazards in the workplace, and offers them no kind of benefit that would give them the money or resources to recover. In 2009 alone, 20,000 sweatshop workers in China suffered from disease because of their occupation.10 Canada is also known for having empathetic and kind citizens who go out of their way to respect people of all minorities. Contrarily, most of Canada's multinational companies are built upon the blood, sweat and tears of struggling countries and the exploitation of /their misfortunes. Endorsing sweatshops is