Mostly of Bolivian origin, the workers were barred from leaving the premises without approval and faced 13-hour work days. “We found men and children who lived in place where they worked,” said the head of the agency. “They were not registered and they were living in terrible conditions. They had no official documents and were held against their will, they were not allowed to leave their workplaces without permission.”
This news follows a 2011 rescue of another group of workers (14 from Bolivia and 1 from Peru) from similar conditions in a Sao Paolo sweatshop that manufactured Zara items.
I do a lot of complaining about the literally high prices of name-brand designer fashion, but stories like this are a grim reminder of the human costs of shopping mass produced, high street brands. Pretty much everything we buy — from clothing to electronics — is manufactured under dubious (slash horrifically messed up) labor conditions. Basically, it’s very difficult to feel good about yourself as a consumer, which is why I feel better when other people buy me stuff. :/
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