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| John Oliver of "Last Week Tonight" provided intake on the fashion and textile industry from an episode in April 2015. The episode focused on the cheap prices for clothing, child labor practices and the term "fast fashion." |
I want more people to talk about human rights. The rights that humans have for just being alive that are not always given to them. Why is it that a 13 year old in an obscure Asian country is making a sweater that will likely be on the clearance rack by the end of the season? Why is it that so many children and adults in developing countries have to do this and make less than minimum wage? Why is there no minimum wage? A person might tell me that is how economics works. And it is. There is no denying that to make a profit you have to exploit someone. Or you could not.
That is where human rights come in. I’m not trying to turn you against Forever 21 and stores similar. I shop at stores like that because I am a cheap college student. Even though I know the immoral conditions and unethical practices of cheap clothing stores, I have to shop there too. I have two minimum wage paying jobs and an occasional babysitting gig but I can’t seem to justify spending more than Forever 21 prices usually.
Human rights
are more complicated than equal pay for women and not discriminating
minorities. It is about treating a human in the most basic way they should be
treated. The minimum wage in Massachusetts is currently $9 per hour and
will increase one dollar for every new year. The raise is based on the expected
raising economy but should be based on basic human rights.
Getting better
working conditions, paying laborers fair wages and not outsourcing jobs would
be the first steps to creating better lives for people. The treatments of
laborers overseas are unfair, unjust and unethical, just to name a few
problems. A person might tell me this is how jobs are made in
those obscure Asian countries. No, there are other jobs. It is honestly
very easy to step away from the problem. I'm also a huge supporter of shopping
locally to help better yourself and your community and how shopping locally
affects everything around you. But companies outsource so it's hard.
The reason many companies outsource overseas is because the employees will work for barely any money because labor laws do not exist there. Overseas the work conditions are not ideal. Laborers are not treated with respect and work long hours into the night and then early the next morning.
Fair Trade is
a brand that helps to end overworking employees overseas. Their slogan is
“every purchase matters.” And every purchase does matter. It doesn’t matter if
you’re buying Forever 21 clothes or Fair Trade. Buying cheaply made clothing
enforces and contributes to the terrible workplace. Fair Trade is a social movement
helping developing countries to trade better and promote sustainability. It is
just like buying locally but for there is a global and larger societal impact. Fair
Trade produces clothing, tea, coffee, and food.
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| The Fair Trade logo. A list of standards for a company to become certified can be found on their website. |
The products
that come from Fair Trade tend to be more expensive but you know your money is
going to the right cause. There is no middleman in Fair Trade therefore no
money is going to outside sources. Again, it is like buying locally. Looking at
the big picture, you know that it is going to help someone. It's nearly
impossible to not buy clothes from a sweatshop. The only way
to avoid sweatshops is to shop for used clothing at thrift shops or buy a piece
of clothing that has a "Made in America" tag.
I used to care a
lot about animal rights. But animal rights are a different issue for a
different post. I also care a lot about environmental rights. I am from a
gorgeous area of New York where you can get lost in the forest of someone’s
backyard. Facing human rights would be the first step in changing animal and environmental
rights and I hope something changes soon.