Jessica Otey/ Feb. 15, 2008/ 11:54 am/ Labor Problems
When most people buy flowers they do not realize that they are helping to support sweatshops in Colombia. This Valentine’s Day about 250 million long stem roses will be sold. About two out of three roses come from Colombia.
The problem with this is that many Colombian women work long hours in sweatshops in order to harvest these roses. Many of the women who work harvesting these flowers are forced to work anywhere from twelve to eighteen hours a day for less than fifty cents an hour. In addition to this, they are exposed to many harmful pesticides which are both harmful to themselves and their future offspring. Studies have shown that exposure to the chemicals used in the flower industry lead to offspring with mental and neuro-physical problems.
An organization called Florverde is experimenting with non-chemical pesticides to help alleviate the problem. Unfortunately, many places are still choosing to use harsh chemicals that hurt both the workers and the environment. The green houses that the flowers are grown only help to exaggerate the problem. When the chemicals are released they are trapped in the greenhouse with no way to escape. This creates high concentrations of chemicals that the workers are forced to breathe in.
I never really realized what a problem this was. I always figured that roses were grown in the U.S. and therefore, weren’t anything to worry about. It shocking when you find out that something so common here like giving flowers is a result of someone else’s intensive labor. It’s really sad that the U.S. relies so heavily on other countries for their cheap labor in order to make a greater profit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kaj-larson/blood-roses-valentines-_b_86520.html
4 comments:
I am absolutely astounded by this! I guess the reason that it is hitting home so hard for me is that yesterday, my fiance sent me a bouquet of long-stemmed roses! As I was looking at them and admiring their beauty, I would never had imagined that these roses could be the product of such intense, harsh labor. I agree with you...I never really thought about where roses came from and what had to be done to prepare them. The farthest I have ever thought about them coming from is the florist, which I guess should tell me exactly how niave I am!
God, that is sad. Soon you're going to tell me that my beloved iPod was assembled by 14-year-old Taiwanese girls crowded in a dimly-lit building.
Every material thing that we love has a good chance of originating in some nefarious place, it seems.
I never knew that roses were a product of sweat shops. This really makes me feel guilty, because I received a rose and I didn't even appreciate it. I didn't even consider that someone had work long hours to produce this one beautiful flower.
Simply not true. No facts whatsoever, you just make general and broad accusations without any supporting information. There are many flower farms outside of Bogota, probably hundreds. You can't just say that they are all sweatshops. You should think twice before putting out this nonsense; in the end, you are affecting the workers that you are trying to protect.
Also, you can't just throw out an hourly wage figure without taking into consideration the local cost of living. I am not sure how much these women make, probably minimum wage. So what? Minimum wage is established and regulated by the ministry of labor as are the flower farms themselves; almost certainly, workers get all the benefits established in local laws (pension, health, etc) in addition to their salary.
By the way, nobody "forces" anyone to do anything. I would even say they women are happy to work the extra hours.
Don't get me wrong, there are many real needs in Colombia (poverty, pollution, displaced population, ilegal armies, etc). Working conditions at flower farms is not one of them. On the contrary, almost everyone here agrees that the local flower industry is a blessing. You should probably spend your time working for a real cause instead of making up drivel about topics that you obviously don't know well.
Now, regarding the pesticides, that's a reality in many agricultural businesses. You can't change over to the safe pesticide overnight.
If you did actual research you'd probably find that harsh pesticides are used in farms in your country as well. But I guess it's much easier to denounce unfair practices in third-world nations than in your own backyard.
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