Is there a chance to change the lifestyle sweatshop workers face when entering into such a work environment?
One level that we work on is empowering workers-to know what their rights are and to stand up for them. However, it is hard, because if you do stand up for your rights, you may get fired. Or if more people do it collectively, the shop is simply closed. (They are often small, little 15 – 20 worker shops that can be closed immediately.) On a structural level, creating safe places for people to work will require more government oversight, as well as manufacturing and retailer accountability. A lot of manufacturers already have quality control inspectors that visit the factory as often as every week or every day, picking up and bringing work, sometimes even giving direct instructions to the workers. But even though they are directly involved in the production process, they are basically only there to see the quality of the clothing, not to see the quality of the work environment or whether the workers are being paid for all of the overtime. Lastly, we need to look at solutions in terms of
