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SWEATSHOPS IN INDIA

By Surbhi Mittal
Sweatshop is a word that is used to describe a working place where the conditions are below acceptable and the workers are paid below the minimum wage. They prevalently use child labor. Depending on the industry, the workers may be exposed to harmful materials. Sweatshops majorly employ people living below poverty line and these people do not have any way to protect themselves from their employers. These shops are not only considered unethical, but they frequently break more than one law in their effort to provide cheap labor. It is estimated that around 90% of the worlds sweatshops are present in developing countries like India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh etc. UN has named India as the labor capital of the world with it having the cheapest labor and flexible labor laws along with low entry costs. In India, the industry which has deployed the maximum number of sweatshops is the Textile/Garment industry because of its high cost and labor intensive requirements.

History
After the industrial revolution there has been has been an unprecedented growth in the average income as well as the population of the people. In the west the labor was and is still very expensive. On the other hand, in a country like India and other developing nations, the labor is very cheap since the people want to get their hands on whatever work they can. They want to provide for themselves with whatever little they earn from this work. The leading garment production industries saw this as an opportunity to produce their garments at a low price and outsourced their production work to the developing nations. This condition has not been especially helped by the introduction of globalization in the Indian market. The demand and supply of goods has increased and the laws of entry in our country have been relaxed which makes it easier for them to outsource their production work. The Indian government seems well-intentioned, proving that sweatshops are the result not merely the product of unscrupulous corporations, but instead result from a complex and painful mix of many factors, including economies, governments, consumers, and workers.

Child Labor
The desperate conditions affecting the rural as well as the urban poor in India are forcing growing numbers of children to toil often in subhuman conditions. They are deprived of their most basic rights as children, including education and a joyful childhood. Most have never been to school or dropped out at very young ages. Indian laws, such as the Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, do not prohibit child labor but ban it only in certain sectors such as hazardous industries. But even if tougher laws were introduced, they would not substantially reduce the use of child workers because the root causes lie deeper, in the terrible poverty of their families. Workers are entitled to social security benefits that provide a safety net for workers who find themselves unable to work due to

sickness, pregnancy or unemployment. The Provident Fund (PF) provides a pension for workers and the Employee State Insurance (ESI) scheme provides cash benefits and medical treatment during illness

Argument supporters of sweatshops in India


The idea of globalization is sometimes expressed as a benefit to all countries involved. The exporting country benefits because jobs can be conducted elsewhere for less money, and the savings can be passed on to the consumer. The importing country benefits because the workers can earn a living to raise them out of poverty. In fact, many Asian nations have risen out of poverty, as promised. Manufacturing accounts for 23 percent of the gross domestic product of Indonesia. Vietnam exported 1.33 billion dollars of shoes in 1999, and this rate is growing by 35 percent annually. The garment industry accounts for 90 percent of Cambodias exports. Critics warn that while corporations try to sell the benefits of globalization, the reality is that worker exploitation is the cost, and that human rights cannot take a back seat to economic gains. As a leading economic power, the United States simply cannot allow its products to be produced by sweatshops and child labor.

Conclusion
Even though sweatshops provide easy employment and an alternative to less approved professions, they are unethical. The conditions in which the workers are living and working are unacceptable. There is no excuse for children working instead of studying and enjoying an appropriate childhood. It is a duty of the developed nations to check for stringent labor laws and keep a check on how the garments are being constructed. The government needs to implement strict laws.

References
1. Sweatshops http://atlismta.org/online-journals/0506-journal-government-and-therights-of-individuals/sweatshops/ 2. Sweatshop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweatshop 3. Exploitation of child labourers in India http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/indi-j08.shtml 4. Taking Liberties : The story behind UKs high street http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Taking%20Liberties%20single%20pages %20web.pdf

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