Page 16 - ISS Profectus E Magazine
P. 16

While     most    of   us   are   aware     of   the

      exploitation       of   these     workers,       we

      often    fail   to   grasp   the   scale    of   the
      situation.     For    example,       you    might

      have    observed      text   on   the   backs     of

      Apple,     Samsung        or   Huawei     phones

      which     conveys      that   they    have    been

      assembled       in   China    or   Vietnam.     But

      the     practices      in    the    sweatshops
                                                               But   the   enslavement        of   workers    isn’t
      where  their  assembly  takes  place  are
                                                               all.  The  most  terrifying  of  capitalism’s
      beyond  appalling.  Workers  are  forced
                                                               many           wrongdoings              is      the
      to  work  ten  to  twelve  hour  shifts  for  a
                                                               inconsiderate           abuse       of     earth’s
      pitiful    pay     of    $15,    and     due      to
                                                               environment         and    natural     resources,
      recurrent  reports  of  suicide,  nets  have
                                                               something        which      most     people     are
      been     erected     around      the    assembly
                                                               aware     of   today.   While    statistics   have
      zones.      Many      brands       around       the
                                                               shown      that    the   richest    10%     of   the
      world,     including      the   famous      singer
                                                               population       are   responsible     for   nearly
      Beyoncé’s       Ivy   Park,    Gap    and    H&M,
                                                               60%     of   the   world’s    greenhouse        gas
      make     use   of   such   sweatshops,       many
                                                               emissions,  they  have  never  been  held
      of  which  utilize  child  labour.  Despite
                                                               accountable.         In   such      a   situation,
      being      a   blatant      violation      of   the
                                                               where  so-called  ‘ethical  products’  like
      Fundamental                Right          against
                                                               organic      foods,    are   more      expensive
      Exploitation,        many       such     facilities
                                                               than  their  pollutive  counterparts,  and
      operate unperturbed across India too.
                                                               the  profits  still  end  up  in  the  hands  of

                                                               the      capitalists        responsible          for

                                                               pollution,        where         workers         are

                                                               exploited       for    the     production         of

                                                               commodities,                 where              the

                                                               environment           is   seen      not     as    a
                                                               responsibility       but   rather     something

                                                               to      exploit,      how        can       ‘ethical

                                                               consumption’ ever take place?


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