Sweatshop
A sweatshop or sweat factory is defined as "a shop or factory in which employees work for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions". Examples of unhealthy conditions include little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting and ventilation, or uncomfortably or dangerously high or low temperatures.
The conditions in sweatshops have, in some cases, led to violations of laws on minimum wage, child labor, occupational safety and health, and sexual harassment. Sweatshops have also exacerbated the environmental impact of fashion. However, in some cases, sweatshops have increased the standard of living when compared with alternatives such as subsistence agriculture and sex work. Sweatshops have been credited for being the "first rung" in the economic transition that improved living conditions in the Four Asian Tigers beginning in the 1950s.
Most sweatshops are currently located in India, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
The fashion industry is one of the most labor-dependent industries. Between 80 and 100 billion new pieces of clothing are reportedly manufactured annually. As of 2023, in sweatshops, workers in Bangladesh were paid $0.33/hour on average and $0.58/hour in India.
"Digital sweatshops" are places where workers train large language models and perform content moderation. Scam centers also include sweatshop conditions. Many of these places are involved in human trafficking, whereby workers are tricked into starting work without informed consent or are kept at work through debt bondage.
Penal labor facilities (employing prisoners) may be grouped under the sweatshop label due to underpaid work conditions.
The controversial nature of sweatshops has led to the anti-sweatshop movement.
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