Day 10: sweatshops

This is a needle threader which is designed to help you pull the thread through the needle. It represents the injustice of sweatshops in that they have no help. Ironically enough this needle threader was made in China.

11 Facts About Sweatshops:

1. 85% of sweatshop workers are young women between the ages of 15-25.
2. Sweatshop workers earn as little as ½ to ¼ of what they need to provide for basic nutrition, shelter, energy, clothing, education and transportation.
3. In order to meet the basic nutritional needs of their families, sweatshop workers spend between 50% to 75% of their income on food alone.
4. Almost 75% of the retail price of a garment is pure profit for the manufacturer and retailer.
5. For less than 1% of Nike’s advertising budget, wages could be doubled for all workers making Nike university clothing.
6. While the garment industry is notorious for their involvement in the sweatshop industry, they aren’t the only culprits. Common sweatshop goods include tires, auto parts, shoes, toys, computer parts, electronics, and nearly every other kind of manufactured good.
7. The U.S. government often gives foreign aid to those same countries whose poverty is directly linked to exploitation by US businesses operating abroad.
8. A recent poll showed that 76% of Americans believe that workers should be protected just as corporate trademarks and products are in the global economy.
9. According to the Department of Labor, over 50% of U.S. garment factories are sweatshops. Many sweatshops are run in this country's apparel centers: California, New York, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta.
10. There are probably sweatshops in every country in the world - anywhere where there is a pool of desperate, exploitable workers. Logically, the poorer a country is, the more exploitable its people are. Labor violations are, therefore, especially widespread in third world countries.
11. Many Americans believe the clothing they purchase is manufactured in America. In fact, the majority of private label clothing is manufactured in at least 48 countries around the world, not in the U.S.