The darkest side of the so-called "sweatshops" is dark indeed. Notorious for abusing workers in order to produce cheap goods for consumers in the industrialized world, sweatshops throughout the poorer countries of Asia, especially Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Malaysia, have come under fire from human rights activists throughout the world.
Sweatshops are not limited to Southeast Asia. The discovery that a clothing line supported by Kathie Lee Gifford was in part produced in Guatemalan sweatshops caused a fair bit of scandal last year. Even in the US, it is not uncommon to hear of police discovering sweatshops, in Los Angeles, New York, or other places where illegal immigrants, who are easily taken advantage of and often unable to seek help because of language barriers, or fear of deportation, gather in numbers. However, in the US, the discovery of a sweatshop usually results in its quick shutdown. In Southeast Asia, it may be that the government is aware of human rights abuses, and fails to stop them, if not outright supporting the sweatshops for their economic potential.
If the charges are accurate, the sweatshops countenance some serious violations of human rights. But in thinking about sweatshops, several questions come to mind. Are the charges accurate? Are workers' human rights being violated? If so, why should the human rights of foreigners concern Americans? If something should be done, what can be done? And what agency, public or private, should act?
First, are the charges accurate? The best available answer on the evidence is "sometimes." Let's look at a sample nation, Indonesia. In 1995, Human Rights Watch/Asia reported that other than the government-controlled All-Indonesia Workers Union, no unions have been allowed. In 1996, the State Department's human rights report condemned Indonesia for suppressing the development of a "truly free trade union movement," and cited the lack a trade unions as a reason that sweatshop abuses still existed. Further, one prominent Indonesian union advocate, Muchtar Pakpahan, is currently on trial for subversion for his advocacy. One recent report by the US auditing firm Ernst & Young found serious abuses of human rights and local labor laws. (More on this later.)
Not all factories are sweatshops. Many treat their workers with decency and respect, and pay wages far higher than local standards. But unquestionably, there are abusers, and that abuse defines the distinction between a factory and a sweatshop. If sweatshops still exist, then what? What can be done?
