The use of sweatshops to produce goods is an acceptable practice.

In the United States of America $5.85 is the National Minimum wage. Tipped wages can legally be as low as $2.13 an hour[1]. In Costa Rica the wages for working in a sweatshop is equivalent to $2.38 an hour[2]. Now taking that into consideration, Costa Rica's national GDP per capita is $12,500 a year[3]. Given an average of a 40 hour work week every week for a year, this sweatshop worker earns $4569.60 a year and is exempt from taxes[4]. The unemployment rate in Costa Rica in 6.6%, roughly 270,000 people. The ratio between the national GDP and this example 1:.36. The GDP per capita in the US is $44,190[6], compared to the American on minimum wage the GDP ratio is 1:.25, before taxes. After taxes its closer to 1:.23. What do all these numbers mean? It means that someone in a third world country with a high unemployment rate and a large amount of workers that are willing to work, having a job significantly raises their standard of living. Given the alternative between no money per year and $4569 dollars per year is significant. Also, the average GDP workers salary to lowest entry level workers salary ratio is significant to the fact that having any job in a third world country improves their standard of living in that country, not America. Rent, food, health care, and other daily living costs are drastically different then they are in the US so it's hard to see 4500 dollars as a living wage but in a lot of places it is. People in America have fast food and food service jobs as their entry level work, and these jobs are hardly less degrading as any sweatshop. In fact its harder to make it in America with these jobs than it would be for someone working in a sweatshop to make it in the countries which they live. Certain countries offer tax breaks and other incentives to the companies interested in starting up there. It's not unwanted business, these countries have massive unemployment issues and they are trying to resolve them. Now it may seem morally reprehensible to have a job with long hours and little pay in poor working conditions, but is working in an Ihop for $2.13 an hour any better. Sure little Wen Yi in China is making Yao Ming NBA jerseys for $0.19 an hour, but are these states of employment are things people must endure and typically don't last forever. Being poor isn't fun and requires a tough lifestyle, but it won't and shouldn't stop big companies from using their opportunities to expand their business. If these companies were to to pay those workers the same as workers in America they would lose out on the incentives for moving there in the first place. Capitalist economies thrive on low production cost and profit maximization. Love it or hate it, doesn't matter, in the world of modern business people are going to try to make as much money as possible. Even though it may be morally questionable, try to stop and think and look about what you buy on a regular basis, ask yourself would I still be able to afford this if someone in America made it? Would people who don't live in America be able to afford it. If a person doesn't like the idea of sweatshops and wants to avoid supporting those products then they don't have to and no one is making them. Resources: [1] http://www.dol.gov... [2] http://www.independent.org... [3] https://www.cia.gov... [4] http://www.costaricaweb.com... [5] http://www.state.gov... [6] http://en.wikipedia.org...