The term “sweatshop” is usually associated with the
image of small factories filled with overworked and underpaid
individuals.
It is hard for many to imagine that a sweatshop is right down
the street, maybe on Wilshire or Pico, in the heart of the greater
Los Angeles area. Despite any disbelief from the general public,
this issue can affect the local community in this day and age.
Students from the UCLA chapter of Amnesty International ““ a
group dedicated to educating students on human rights issues that
affect not only the United States but the global community as well
““ are generating attention that sweatshops are not solely an
international problem but an eerie local one.
In an event called “In Your Own Backyard,” Amnesty
International is showing four films about the sweatshops, racial
profiling and other labor issues that go on in the United States,
many of which it says are going on in the immediate L.A. area.
The events are free to attend and will go on all week.
“So much goes on in the background without people even
realizing what happens,” said Justin Hotter, a first-year
biochemistry student and a member of UCLA Amnesty
International.
In preparation for the event, Amnesty International members
sought out various speakers to talk about the issues presented by
the movies.
These speakers include the directors of the films, members of
other human rights organizations and a former child prostitute.
Though many of the speakers will reinforce the ideas brought up
in the films, some will speak out against the ideas, including an
L.A. police officer who will talk about how racial profiling does
not occur within the police force.
The films bring attention to many issues that Americans see as
international, rather than local.
UCLA Amnesty International President Casey Johnson said there
are an estimated 20 million “slaves” in the world
today, many of whom are forced to work in the clothing sweatshops
or as domestic workers in the United States.
“(Students) have to be aware that these things are going
on. … We want to provide people with a way to do
something,” Johnson said.
The movie shown today portrays how offshore contractors are
employed by “upscale U.S. clothing companies” to
produce their products, even using child labor to complete the
job.
Another movie documents the child-trafficking and prostitution
that goes on domestically.
The event is co-sponsored by the Clothesline Project ““ a
program designed to create awareness for the survivors of sexual
violence ““ and the California Student Sustainability
Coalition, which promotes student involvement alongside UC faculty,
staff and administration for environmentally sound practices in the
UC system.
“Things are happening in the U.S. Things are happening in
L.A.,” Johnson said.
These organizations are working to make students aware of the
need for change within the community. Whether the sweatshops are
Wilshire or Pico is not the point of these events. No matter where
it happens in the United States, Amnesty International is seeking
to make it clear that it is a problem, and it is one that requires
awareness and, eventually, action.