Reflections on Maquilapolis
Sabina Arias
First off, my
immediate reaction was sadness. It saddens me to think that people earn so
little, just barely making enough for their family to survive. Not only that
but that them and their chilren are exposed to chemicals that cause cancer or
are harmful in other ways and the workers are left without any resources to
help them defend their basic rights. I feel so closed off in a bubble, like
this would never happen in my community. The fact that one lady who was interviewed
said that they didn’t allow the workers to use the restroom even, made me so
angry. How can the owners of these factories get away with violating the most
basic human rights without any charges against them? The Mexican government is
so corrupt and sadly those who can’t defend themselves are the ones that are
taken advantage of the most by transnational corporations. The connotations of
a factory like Panasonic really changes when you look at a story like this.
A good tactic that
resonated with me was when international media started to serve as a tool to
pressure the authorities to take action. I’ve witnessed many cases back in
Mexico of abuse of power where the only way for big corporations to take responsibility
is if the media exposes their corruption. Unfortunately, without this,
authorities are not held responsible for environmental exploitation or the
abuse of workers. It’s a very inspiring thing that a small group of committed
women got together and achieved a common goal. It might seem like a very small
victory but it sets an example for the future.
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