Sweatshop labour

Extraterritorial sweatshop factories
Maquiladoras
Sweatshops
Maquila ships
Sweatshop factory ships
Maquilas

Nature

The word "maquila" comes from the Spanish verb "maquilar" which means to assemble. "Maquila ships" are extraterritorial factories, where workers live and work without breaks in the day for long periods. These types of activities are bordering on "new forms of slavery" and constitute flagrant violations of workers, rights and individual human rights.

Background

Sweatshop labour emerged as a global concern during the late 19th century, when investigative reports exposed exploitative factory conditions in industrializing nations. International attention intensified in the 1990s, as media coverage and advocacy campaigns revealed the prevalence of child labour, unsafe environments, and wage abuses in supply chains of major brands. This led to widespread public outcry, prompting multinational corporations and governments to confront the ethical and economic implications of sweatshop practices worldwide.

Incidence

Sweatshop labour remains a pervasive global issue, affecting millions of workers, particularly in the garment, electronics, and footwear industries. Countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa are most impacted, with workers—often women and children—enduring long hours, hazardous conditions, and wages far below living standards. Despite international attention and some regulatory efforts, the demand for cheap consumer goods continues to drive the proliferation of sweatshops, making the problem persistent and widespread.
In 2022, an investigation revealed that workers in Bangladesh’s garment factories supplying major Western brands were subjected to excessive overtime, unsafe environments, and wage theft. These conditions persisted despite public commitments to ethical sourcing.