Impacts
Sweatshops have various impacts on not only Bangladesh and its citizens but the world as well. In fact, not all of the impacts of sweatshops are negative; however, an overwhelming majority of them are unfortunately. Bangladesh has a very low GDP per Capita, around $3,400, according to the CSI World Factbook. Yet, the reason this rate is as high as it is is due to sweatshop labor. Employees of sweatshops earn more than $2.00 a day on average (about 20-24 cents an hour), which is more than what 77% of citizens in Bangladesh earn. While this is nowhere near what is needed to make a living, and they still live in poverty, these workers are technically better off than most in the country. Additionally, sweatshops are beneficial to the economy for they have allowed it to grow about 6% annually. That is a significant improvement considering it is a third world country in transition. This extra income can lead to the country's development so it can eventually become an industrialized nation. Furthermore, the labor done in sweatshops has allowed big name retailers to offer clothing cheaper to its customers in industrialized nations, and all consumers love low prices.
Despite the positives that are mentioned above, sweatshops obviously have a lot of negative impacts since it has a negative connotation associated with it. The most glaring issue is all of the injuries and casualties caused by a lack of safety. People here put their lives in danger on a daily basis just by going to work when all they really want to do is provide a better life for themselves and their family. In November 2012, over 120 workers were burned to death and another 300 workers were injured due to the Tazreen factory fire located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Then in April 2013, the Rana Factory collapse, which was also located in Dhaka, left 1,134 dead and over 2,400 injured. Rozina Begum is just one woman who was injured; she had to cut off most of her left arm with a hacksaw in order to be rescued. Now, she struggles to provide for her family. Events such as these hurt a company’s reputation, and it forces them to decide to shut down the factories and leave a ton of people unemployed or run the risk of another tragedy happening. In addition, the continuation of sweatshops allows for mistreatment of women to continue, which can have devastating consequences. Morium Begum lost her child in her seventh month of pregnancy because the factory made her work over 100 hours a week, even though she was pregnant, causing her to be exhausted and sick. Other employees, such as Zesmin Khatun and Taniya Begum, were denied maternity benefits and were illegally terminated or forced to resign. Sweatshops also allow child labor to occur; kids as young as twelve work long hours in these unsafe factories for thirty cents an hour. In conclusion, sweatshops do have their positives as well as negatives; however, the majority of sweatshops create negative impacts.
Despite the positives that are mentioned above, sweatshops obviously have a lot of negative impacts since it has a negative connotation associated with it. The most glaring issue is all of the injuries and casualties caused by a lack of safety. People here put their lives in danger on a daily basis just by going to work when all they really want to do is provide a better life for themselves and their family. In November 2012, over 120 workers were burned to death and another 300 workers were injured due to the Tazreen factory fire located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Then in April 2013, the Rana Factory collapse, which was also located in Dhaka, left 1,134 dead and over 2,400 injured. Rozina Begum is just one woman who was injured; she had to cut off most of her left arm with a hacksaw in order to be rescued. Now, she struggles to provide for her family. Events such as these hurt a company’s reputation, and it forces them to decide to shut down the factories and leave a ton of people unemployed or run the risk of another tragedy happening. In addition, the continuation of sweatshops allows for mistreatment of women to continue, which can have devastating consequences. Morium Begum lost her child in her seventh month of pregnancy because the factory made her work over 100 hours a week, even though she was pregnant, causing her to be exhausted and sick. Other employees, such as Zesmin Khatun and Taniya Begum, were denied maternity benefits and were illegally terminated or forced to resign. Sweatshops also allow child labor to occur; kids as young as twelve work long hours in these unsafe factories for thirty cents an hour. In conclusion, sweatshops do have their positives as well as negatives; however, the majority of sweatshops create negative impacts.