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?
15