Are Sweatshops Good or Bad (Essay Sample)

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Argumentative Essay: "Are Sweatshops Good or Bad?"
Introduction
Sweatshops refer to a workplace that is socially unacceptable because of unsuitable working conditions. Sweatshops are socially unacceptable because the wages are not commensurate, or the work is dangerous and difficult. In most of the cases, workers in a sweatshop work long hours, but receive low pay. They operate under this conditions regardless of laws and regulations that stipulate overtime pay and minimum wage. Sweatshops making products for foreign markets are essential first steps towards modern prosperity in third world countries (Powell 49). Therefore, sweatshops are good. Arguments against sweatshops are mainly centered on the fact that these factories are exploitive and dehumanizing. Sweatshops were the stepping stones for developed countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore. These countries became economic powerhouses because of sweatshop investments within their territories. They began by making shoes, toys and apparels for export. Within a period of 20 years, these countries’s national income had climbed from 10 percent to 40 percent.
Sweatshops are important ways of creating wealth in poor countries. Though sweatshops have been considered as unfair to their workers, they bring wealth to people in poor areas. Countries in Asia and Africa have populations that are impoverished to the point that they cannot provide for their families. In these cases, sweatshops provide opportunities for these populations to earn a wage. In 2003, a Honduran garment factory paid its workers $0.24 for Sean John sweatshirts sold at $50 (Powell 61). When this factory was closed because it was a sweatshop, its workers returned to poverty.
The exchange between sweatshop workers and employers is usually mutually beneficial even though it is unfair. Labor ideas in developed countries such as the U.S and Britain are not applicable in underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa. It is vital to consider the harsh economic conditions experienced in these countries (Powell 79). Sweatshops in which workers are not physically coerced should be supported because the benefits are mutually experienced by the employee and employer.
Sweatshops contribute to the improvement of trade between developed and developing countries. The issue of sweatshops lies within the conceptual framework of global economies. Developing countries such as China, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh are able to trade with developed countries because they produce products for consumption in these developed countries (Gordon 27). In addition, developing countries encourage outsourcing to their territories in order to support their economies. The shift of production from developed to developing countries is part of the globalization of trade.
It is essential for people to understand the relationship between human rights and sweatshops. There are correlations between violation of human rights and sweatshops. However, this correlation is not causal because these violations can occur in different workplaces, schools and business organizations. Injustices that exist in a sweatshop can be viewed as symptoms of a corrupt society or government and law enforcement. Instead of illegalizing all sweatshops for th...