sweating it up in the shop

As bad as this sounds, I definitely have to say that I am a proponent for the sweatshop industry. It sounds like a harsh, unethical way to be. I am completely aware of the horrific, long working hours, unacceptable conditions, the child labor, and the lack of respect that these workers receive. When I began to research this topic, I searched the term "sweatshops." The ONLY responses I got were of pages and pages of people talking about how horrible sweatshops were. There were pages and pages exposing several nationally known companies, citing their particular uses of sweatshops.
Yes, the working conditions for these people are bad. They have to work long hours, endure uncomfortable working temperatures, and seven day work weeks. If in comparison to American laws, these companies definitely are in violation of our work laws. However, if it weren't for these jobs, these employees would have no money and no opportunities. They would have to sell their children into prostitution to help feed the other members of the family. 90 percent of the workers in the apparel industry's sweatshops are women. (wikipedia.com) These women work 16 hour days, seven days a week. If they are sick, they are easily replaced, and this isn't exactly "fair" in terms of the way people are treated. However, when looking at the overall situation, these sweatshops are in third world countries that have no other export to offer the world economy except their cheap labor. These sweatshops offer employment to women who have little or no other options. With the money that they make from the jobs, they are able to feed their families and even send them to school.
It is a horrible situation, but in a world that most every country is technologically and economically advanced, the cheap labor offered by these Asian countries is their way of saying "Don't forget about us!" They give us cheap labor, and provide food for the families that would otherwise starve. It may be unethical, however, I believe that there are some necessary evils in the world. And this would be one.