Thanks for the thread Poirot, it is one I would like to see talked about in every western country.
I however want to look from the other sides point of view.
Yes we should be ashamed about the way these folk live and work, and should support them.
But we should avoid at all costs, taking the work away from them.
How? if we paid just 50 cents more on every item,after being assured it would be paid to the worker?
I see no other way we can help without us who can afford it paying more.

Otokonoko I'm afraid you are showing your naivety.

I did once put on post here the cost of doing business in Oz, & won't give the full story again. I will give a quick idea.

On an item landed from China for $2.00 it goes something like this.

Cost of display packaging $2.00

Cost of warehousing, packing, invoicing, carrying credit, & administrative overheads $2.50

Cost of marketing $2.00

Average cost of freight to retailers Oz wide, $9.00

Add customs costs, insurance & a few incidentals, & by the time it has reached your retailer it owes you about $19.00.

Allow say $4.00 profit margin $23.00

The retailer requires 50% mark up when he might have the stock for months, so retail price would be $34.50 for that $2.00 item.

At these margins many importers, wholesalers & retailers are going broke. A company needs to be super efficient to stay afloat in face of competition, & increasing overheads. If you had staff working at academic or bureaucrat speeds you would have to at least double those costs.

Thanks for the post Poirot. I to don't know how feminist or men help the millions being used as slaves. At the heart of it is that most of us don't think much about where our cheap clothing comes from. The abhorent cultural practices and inbuilt greed in human nature leads to this abuse. I am not convinced any of us would be much different to the abusers if grown up in such corrupt socities.

Poirot, there is no feminist conscience, there's just women who've fallen for a con job.

Don't disparage them, pity them, because their world is going to collapse around them all too soon and I doubt that they'll find much sympathy from the men they trampled in their rush to get on the gravy train.

Dear Poirot,

There is great diversity in the economic and
social conditions and cultural traditions
in Third World countries. We in the West have
to be careful not to impose our values onto
these women. We need to not only listen, but
also hear things from their point of view.
I guess what I am trying to say is the West
needs to ask what sort of support is needed,
however it also needs to let them lead their
own battles.

It may be hard for us to understand that they will
not seek to achieve their "liberation," by
denigrating their religion or culture or by forcing
upon their communities inappropriate priorities
and demands. However I feel sure that with the
right kind of support, they will do it their way.
They need to do it their way.

We don't want to try to inflict on them what is
"foreign" and "offensive" (i.e. values from a First
World perspective).

Anyway, here's a link that may be of interest:

http://www.independent.org/pdf/tir/tir_11_02_06_cohen.pdf

Has any feminist ever given up chocolate? OK, that is too savage, too impossible. Like cutting out Big Brand bags and shoes (Hey, it isn'y only cheap clobber that is made in sweatshops). Eeeeek, Nooooo! No way!

Hmmmm, what about giving up one bar of chocolate then?

No need, apparently it is important to put multiculturalism first. Besides, the children can work it out their way. There ARE priorities in political correctness you know.

Chocolate
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/dark-side-chocolate/