Large retail markets such as Walmart, H&M, and Zara are well-known to provide the whole population with affordable clothing. Textile factories need a lot of workforces to cover the demand of the customers. Unfortunately, not all employees are paid fairly, and even worse, are being forced into labor. According to the World Counts, there are more than 20 million labor slaves worldwide. An average worker is only paid 4 cents per hour, and the working conditions are not acceptable according to all occupational standards (The World Counts). Thus, urgent steps should be taken by both governments and consumers to overcome the global problem of slave labor, such as regular check-ups of factories and support of local providers, as well as help to the victims of such practices.
The animation by Graeme MacKay depicts the problem of sweatshops and people’s carelessness about it. The customers are trying to make a great deal out of buying clothes that are on sales. They are portrayed as thoughtless and disgusting men who do not control their actions. For instance, they all have poked out eyeballs with the facial expressions of madmen. One of them has his eyes looking in different directions, showing he has no clear picture of what he is doing. Their greed is endless to the extent that one guy’s half of the body is already inside the box with garments.
Furthermore, MacKay wants to illustrate that the goods have been made by illegal labor by staining all the goods with blood. The blood is vivid and everywhere, yet none of the buyers seem to notice or even ignore this fact. They are blinded by their desires and their small goal. The male customer is even saying, “I’d KILL for that deal!” referring to the customer’s cruelty and the possible deaths and harms of the workers because of the need to deliver the items to him. The word ‘kill’ is in capital letters, as well as the signboard with the bargain. This highlights the significance of the words and means that buyers do not care about the ways of getting cheap products. The woman, who is holding the clothes, has an appearance that reminds of an animal, which shows her inhumanity.
To add up, the box with clothes has an inscription that says ‘product of Bangladesh’ pointing to the frequent issues of slave labor in this country. Bangladesh is the second leader in the world in the mass production of clothes after China. Sadly, it is famous for using illegal human resources to reach its aim in manufacture. Many cases of forced labor and child labor have been registered, followed by violence, sexual abuse, terrible living conditions, and low wage (Akash and Panos). The ordinary people of Bangladesh went on strikes several times in history to ask for help from the government. Some of the protests were quite successful and brought improvements in the regulations of the manufacturing companies. For example, last year, the Bangladeshi government could banish child labor in about 600 factories and provide education and medication for children (Bureau of International Labour Affairs). Thus, decisive steps from governments should be taken to restrict forced labor.
Some incidents with severe consequences lead to substantial changes in occupational regulations and human attitude towards sweatshops. For instance, in 2013, Rana Plaza, the tall shopping center crushed in Bangladesh, which caused many deaths and disabilities (Akash and Panos). The event resonated worldwide and made international governments and Bangladesh improve workers’ safety and situation with the forced labor. As an illustration, labor rights and laws on child labor were revised, and organizations’ punishment for illegal labor was severed (Akash and Panos; Bureau of International Labour Affairs). Therefore, the involvement of the government and international support can attribute to the banishment of slave labor.
The governments’ help, of course, is crucial in solving the problem, however, without the consumers’ awareness and engagement in the issue, the situation is likely to remain. The more, there is a demand for cheap goods, and there will be more manufacturers which will exploit their workers. Consumers should stop buying products from big mass-markets and should support local providers. People need to make sure the clothes they want to obtain are Fair Trade certified. The presence of the certificate ensures slave workers did not make the garments. Moreover, there are a lot of victims of sweatshops who require monetary help (Akash and Panos). Thus, the donations for victims’ aid might be an effective way to promote humanity and unity between people.
To conclude, there is an increasing number of forced labor cases in developing countries with a rising level of demand for affordable goods in the world. Mackay addresses this issue in his cartoon and calls for the action of consumers. The animation shows that the author is devastated by people who are thoughtless of their inhumane behavior. Thus, consumers need to stop supporting big manufacturers, and governments should set strict regulations for labor conditions.
Works Cited
Akash, and Panos. “Whoever Raises Their Head Suffers the Most.” Human Rights Watch, 2020. Web.
Bureau of International Labour Affairs. “Child Labour and Forced Labour Reports.” 2020. Web.
The World Counts, 2020. Web.