> How did things get so bad ? I would probably say that it is better than it has ever been. Looking back in history, child labour was very high until the early

> How did things get so bad ? I would probably say that it is better than it has ever been. Looking back in history, child labour was very high until the early/mid 20th century. According to Wikipedia [0]: The incidence of child labour in the world decreased from 25% to 10% between 1960 and 2003, according to the World Bank. So we are probably overall better off than before. Sweatshops of varying degrees are unpleasant by Western standards, but they do provide a better (slightly at least) than working on a poor farm. They, if I am correct, appear to be quite effective in quickly increasing the living standards in countries. People do flock to these jobs for a reason - they are (a lot) better than the alternatives. However, I don't know if it is avoidable to use 'sweatshops'. American Apparel are made, mostly, in American factories if I recall correctly? [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour