Here's an article I wrote the school newspaper.
Thanks to Hannah for her great editing/make-it-sound-pretty skills.
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Who makes our shoes? – Child labor an ongoing tragedy we cannot afford to ignore
Today American corporations import products from all over the world—products which are often made by the hands of children and slaves.
Many prominent corporations are currently opposing a bill that would ban products made from child and slave labor. They are “worried” about what will become of their businesses when they do not have these products. They are worried specifically that such a bill would prompt further investigation into the origins of their products. While there may be other ideological reasons to oppose this specific bill, this rationale is disturbing.
The truth is that slavery is not dead in America, but is a part of our everyday life. It is convenient and cheap and we benefit from these products daily—all the while perpetuating a unjust system.
When we buy products, we are taking part in a global exchange. Our decisions affect not just us, but also the producers selling their products to us, the employees of that producer, and the individuals who made the products.
Who are these people? If we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is that we don’t really know. The rise of mass production and large manufacturers has diminished the relationship between creator and consumer. Our focus has in many ways shifted from the individual to what is cheap and efficient.
We have no idea what the situation behind our products is. We buy a shirt that says “Made in Vietnam” and that’s really all we know about where it came from. What we often fail to realize, though, is that many of these products have stories behind them, some of which are far less glamorous than the shoes we just bought.
Today American corporations import products from all over the world—products which are often made by the hands of children and slaves. Businesses know that these products are cheap and that they can make a significant profit off of them.
As American consumers, we are either ignorant of this exploitation or we just don’t care enough to change the status quo. In the past, businesses would dismiss the origin of their products. But now they are not only publicly acknowledging their dependence on slavery, but refusing to rid themselves of this source of income.
We should not be okay with this.
But what can be done? If a solution exists, it isn’t an easy one.
One solution that is often suggested is to support the fair trade movement. Companies such as World Next Door, Better Way Imports and Invisible Children’s Mend Program are committed to providing conflict-free products to the consumer as well as economic stability to those who create these products.
Of course, ideological conflicts arise even within this movement. Fair trade is limited in scope, and may even be causing more long-term harm than good. Just because a product has the “Fair Trade” stamp on it doesn’t mean that this is the best way to help developing communities.
So what should our response be? Is it really reasonable to boycott shopping at Walmart, Ikea, Hanes and L.L.Bean? I won’t pretend to have a clear-cut answer. In fact, this is one of those issues that just seems to get more complicated the deeper you investigate. But I do know that as Christians we should be at the forefront of that investigation. If nothing else, this should be something we are praying over and discussing–working out as a community what it means to seek justice and see the end of slavery in our day.
