IBM: Slavery for a Small Planet

A group of undercover investigators recently discovered over 2000 Chinese workers making computer parts for major computer companies in "slave-like conditions." The workers, who were all adults, worked 87-hour weeks with no days off.  They were only paid 29 Pasie per hour, which is like the Indian penny and converts to less than one one-hundredth of a U.S. penny an hour.  In other words, these workers were essentially unpaid.  They may not be calling this trafficking or slavery, but I sure am.

This is an important story because I think most people only associate labor exploitation and sweatshops with the production of clothing, because that has been what has garnered the most media attention.  However, any industry can become exploitative under the right circumstances.  The computers we use, cars we drive, iPods we shuffle and a myriad of other items may not be slavery free.

This week is Fair Trade Fortnight over at my colleague Zarah's blog, and I encourage you to check out all the many fair trade options which exist for a number of products.  It's one way to ensure your products aren't tainted with slavery.