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Rough draft -- Definition Paper 01.30.11

Sweatshops

Sweatshops are typically thought of as third world factories that employ underpayed, overworked, and unskilled women and children. These factories benefit major corporations trying to find ways to sell their products at a lower price, through cheap labor, and less restrictive laws due to lack of government. The problem with these products is that a person can never know that it was made in such conditions. Althought the tag doesn't state "Made in a Sweatshop" almost anything that anyone wears is probably made in a sweathsop. Just the other day I was taking off my sweatshirt and I happened to notice that the tag said, "Made in Vietnam". It made me question the origin of the sweathshirt. I did some research and found out the Gap, the maker of the sweatshirt, had a lot of past problems with sweatshops, especially child labor. Although Gap's issues with child labor in the past had since been resolved, it still made me wonder where my clothes came from? or what povertized woman or child sewed the very jeans that were in my closet? It haunts me to know that someone miles away, suffering, is forced to take up a job in sweatshops so I, and the rest of the country, can have our name brand clothes. Next time I get dressed, the clothes I put on will give me a serious second thought. Will they for you?