Slave Labor

Globalization, and the system of subcontracting, has turned countless women from Asian countries into slave laborers. Major western corporations involved in the garment industry rely on cheap women labor from Asian countries, which they receive through offshore contracts. These subcontractors, in the interest of making and saving money, put women to work for extremely long hours and under unspeakable working conditions, to the extent where it is a blatant violation of their human rights. No adequate global governance exists to keep businesses and subcontractors from abusing laborers the way certain domestic governments check business practices to ensure labor abuse is not rampant within its borders. Today, a social accountability contract exists where businesses, using non-governmental organizations, are expected to self-regulate themselves to ensure laborers are not being abused. This organization is inadequate, given the company’s motivation to maintain cheap labor, by claiming they are not responsible for offshore working conditions. Fortunately, consumer pressures have forced big business to ensure the improvement of offshore labor conditions, yet much improvement is still needed.



Nike Inc. is a prime example of a major business entity having a reputation for exploiting slave labor, but it is now making attempts to reverse its practices. Nike is an industry leader that has tolerated the use of slave labor in countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam to produce its sports apparel. In 2006 Nike made $15 billion in revenue according to money.cnn.com. Meanwhile, the average Indonesian laborer making Nike products makes $1.25 a day. In China, Nike has admitted to finding falsified documents, underage workers, and unpaid laborers. Workers in numerous Asian countries are coerced into working 16 hour shifts, 7 days a week and under horrific conditions that include verbal and physical abuse, and limited access to water and bathrooms. Exploitation of child labor is also not uncommon, as they can be forced to work longer hours and for cheaper wages. Nike, making use of subcontractors abroad, claimed to have no control over the treatment, wages, and working conditions of these laborers.



Numerous human rights non-governmental organizations and media outlets have brought these abuses to light creating an outrage. Fearing a consumer backlash, Nike was forced to quit turning a blind eye to these labor practices. Wages have increased and working conditions have improved since. Before the Beijing Olympics, when Chinese practices would be most scrutinized, Nike made efforts to get suppliers to comply with the company's code of conduct as well as Chinese law. They have initiated a program to document their workers and ensure none are underage. Still, a considerable amount of work is yet to be done. Countless other companies still take advantage of slave labor, and even those industry leaders that are attempting to clean up their act have only just begun the process.

Sblaw

Want designer floral print bags? Well, you could always go the expensive route and purchase this Anthropologie Carlsbad Convertible bag for $258.

But, then many of you wouldn't have much cash left to keep in the bag. Lucky for you, there's always option two. Free People has a similar bag called the Embroidered Side Cinch bag for $128. A little more affordable, yes. However, if you're like me, nothing makes me feel better about spending money than knowing my purchase is benefiting a good cause. That makes option three the winner in my book, which is the Hybridity Kiss from a Rose bag for the wonderful low price of $80.
Not only will you be in fashion, but you will be saving money and aiding the awareness of a good cause. Support fair trade, do hybridity.

Peace and Love

Fair trade is an exciting way to shop, not only are you likely supporting a group of independent artisans, but often your dollars go to fund U.S. based charities.

For $58 you can show your support for peace by buying this Dogeared brand peace bracelet.

It’s nice. Dogeared makes some wonderful jewelry. But for $24 not only can you show you are down with peace, but also support a worker’s collective in Nepal, a microgrant for a woman in Africa, and your dollars vote for fair trade.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a lot of money right now. When I have $24 and I want make it stretch, and if possible, multitask. Yes, when I'm feeling poor I set up some high expectations for what little I got. My little bit of money starts feeling overwhelmed with the pressure because I push it too hard. I’m a pusher.

This Amy Khan designed bracelet is as multitasking as an iPhone and I know some of you waited in line for that!

Veronica's House

Not for Sale is an activist organization whose mission is the abolition of slavery and human trafficking worldwide. In their own words it is "the campaign to end slavery in our lifetime." Hybridity, having similar goals,is supporting this group...particularly its unit in Lima, Peru. There the Not for Sale team Generacion is undertaking a project to build a safe house to protect Peruvian children from exploitation. The project is called Veronica's House in remembrance of a girl named Veronica who came to Generacion in need of housing and protection.Unfortunately, Veronica had to released due to a lack of resources. Without a place to call home,she was back on the streets where within a week she was found strangled to death in a hotel room by a man she was forced to have sex with. Not for Sale is in the process of building an emergency shelter and safe house in Lima to protect other children from suffering the same fate. Not for Sale has built similar safe houses and shelters in other locales where the results have been a success. Veronica's House will be built in Veronica's honor and serve as a reminder that she could have been saved had such a building been in existence. The shelter will be able to protect 20 children at a time from the dangers of the streets and its predators. Currently, the project is in need of $100,000 by the end of September in order to start protecting children as soon as October. This is the project web site where you can make a donation https://secure.webconnex.com/notforsaleperu.






Safehouse built by Not for Sale on Myanmar border protecting Burmese women and children.

Sblaw

It’s quite ironic how we, as consumers, find ways to justify the amount of money we spend on ridiculously over-priced goods from brand name stores. We often rationalize such purchases by associating specific goods with “better quality.” However, why does “better quality” always carry such a heavy price tag? What do most shoppers perceive “better quality” to be? Does this perception include the quality of workers and their working conditions? And why do consumers often misinterpret sweatshop produced goods to be more affordable as well as more fashionable?

When we contemplate a potential purchase, we often overlook the effort and amount of work used to make a specific garment or assemble a piece of jewelry. Stigmas attached to the word sweatshop never seem to bother most of us despite the harsh reality of sweatshop workers. Along with our indifference towards such products, we assume that non-sweatshop produced goods will cost us a large sum of money. However, several products made by fair trade companies cost much less than the sweatshop produced purchase we made last week at the mall and ironically there is little difference in detail between the products.

The photograph to the left features a bracelet from Nordstrom.com. This particular bracelet can be found for about $138.00 while the Hybridity bracelet (not pictured) can be purchased at about one hundred dollars less for $33.00. Some shoppers may initially be hesitant by assuming the quality of the Hybridity bracelet must be lacking in some way. However, the bracelet from Hybridity is produced by a fair trade company which employs workers who work under appropriate working conditions while the more expensive bracelet was produced by a non-fair traded company.

Clothing is no different from the jewelry above. The price difference may even be larger as we see the use of popular brand names advertised for sweaters and tops. The next set of photographs present a set of two knit sweaters. The one to the right can be purchased from SaksFifthAvenue.com for about $253.00 while the sweater to the left costs about three times cheaper at $76.00.

Lastly, these two long-sleeve henleys reflect the same difference as the two previous examples. The first henley by Juicy Couture from SaksFifthAvenue.com is priced more expensively at $98.00 while the second one looks quite similar and can be purchased cheaper for $69.00.

-Kat

Photo Courtesy of Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Indigenous Designs

Indigenous Designs

Hybridity sells products from, Indigenous Designs, one trailblazers of fair traded, organic women's clothing available in the United States.

Here is their mission:

" The artisan is our most valued partnerships. Indigenous partners directly with organizations to provide training, educational materials, financing and equipment that otherwise could not be afforded. As we continue to grow we will endeavor to connect the company's long-term financial performance to that of the individual artisans. Most of the artisans in the Indigenous Peruvian hand knit work groups live in the south of Peru in surrounding countryside of Pampa"

To learn more about the artisans and workers collectives making Indigenous Designs clothing click here.