Media Credit: Mariel Rodriguez-McGill From left, Robina, a translator, Charles Kernaghan, Maksuda, and Sk Nazma talked to students about working conditions in Bangladesh´s sweatshops. [Click to enlarge]

Cheap clothing from sweatshops has been a global issue that several organizations have tried to address this year. In an attempt to bring attention to this issue, the Global Justice Project (GJP) sponsored an event titled "The Bangladesh Workers' Tour," which brought teenagers from Bangladesh to campus to give a first-hand account of their experiences working in sweatshops that produce clothing for mass corporations like Walmart and Nike.

Bangladesh's garment industry is the main source of income for its citizens. This sector has been the most developed area of business due to its labor-intensive nature, simple technology, and small capital. As a result, 76 percent of the total exports coming from Bangladesh are produced by its garment manufacturers. The reality is that they are only able to produce massive amounts of clothing due to the inexpensive labor available throughout the country.

Robina, an 18-year-old teenage girl whose last name was not released, has been a factory worker at Western Dresses for about two years and earns 900 Takas, or $15.25, a month for making 150 pieces of back pocket flaps an hour. She talked about her experience with employers.

"If you made any mistakes or fell behind on your goal, they beat you," said Robina. "They slapped you and lashed you hard on the face with the pants." Her normal working day included sitting on a little wooden stool for 16 hours, inhaling the dust off the factory floor and being surrounded by the heat of the overcrowded factory.

"These people are the hardest working women in the world, but they're also some of the most abused," said Charles Kernaghan, the executive director of the National Labor Committee for Worker and Human Rights.

Maksuda, a 19-year-old and a single mother, has been a factory worker since she was 11. She became pregnant with her daughter at age 17 and found herself unable to keep up with the rapid production of goods. Her manager noticed her slow down and said that he didn't want to hear her excuses about being pregnant.

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