Exploitation
of labor has long been a recurring issue, throughout the world, particularly in
less developed areas of the world. That being said, the recent revelations
about the conditions of factories in Haiti are incredibly alarming. Clothing
factories in Haiti became very prominent following the devastating 2010
earthquake that ravaged the country. Despite the economic benefit of the
manufacturing jobs, these factories appear to be doing more harm than good.
Recent reports have shown surprising failures in the area of employee safety
along with a great deal of exploitation. Issues include poor lighting, lack of
medical personnel, fire safety problems, and theft of wages from employees.
These findings reveal a willful systemic negligence that not only robs workers
of what they have earned, but also puts them in a great deal of danger on the
job.
Personally, I find these
failures to be appalling and completely unacceptable. Perhaps the most
disturbing part is that some of these factories make clothes for American
companies and at least one was built in large part by our own State Department
as a part of the aid following the earthquake. This exploitation of foreign
workers shows the darker side of American capitalism, the side that has led to
a great deal of corruption in foreign countries and gotten the U.S. entangled
in problematic wars. These issues are indicative of the ethical bankruptcy of
owners and managers who value profit over the well-being of their employees. It
is obvious to me that governmental or international oversight needs to be
utilized in order to hold these factories and companies to higher standards in
the way they treat their employees.
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