In 2013, the Rana Plaza, a large garment factory in Bangladesh, collapsed leaving 1,129 people dead and several thousand injured. More about the article can be read here.
If we trace the problem further, I believe the roots are deep inside the western corporations who ultimately purchase these garments. Corporations turn a blind eye on something that is a clear ethical violation of human rights in first world standards.
Hence comes into play value-based judgements. While the western corporations may understand their value proposition which is to provide cheap, affordable and stylish clothing, it is taking advantage of vulnerable people in doing so .
However, there is another side to the story which I must acknowledge – if western corporations do take a stand against these factories, which causes them to shut down, thousands of workers will be jobless and displaced.
We need to do more than just stand up against it; we need to do something about it. While I am not sure what that something is right now, I will be trying my best to find it.
To end my first blog, I want to share an interesting quote I read today:
“We treat humans as just numbers, or as simply ‘cheap labor’ within a global supply chain that feeds the consumption patterns of the United States and European Union. ” -from another blogger.
