Made in the USA: Are we Trading Our Women for Cheap Labor?

This week’s post focuses on the troubling conditions in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S
territory located in the Pacific Ocean, which is currently exempt from U.S immigration and labor laws. Due to the lack of authority on the island, Mariana has become a hub for the sexual trafficking and the exploitation of women and laborers; a typical sweatshop is pictured here. The Mariana Islands are making headlines as 23-year old Kayleen Entena testifies at last week’s hearing to determine whether the islands should be brought under U.S. jurisdiction. Entena shares her tragic story; how she was lured by the promise of a paying job, but upon her arrival on the island was immediately forced into sexual slavery. Below are my comments on two other blogs that discuss the Mariana Island situation. The first takes a close look at Entena’s testimony and at the severity of the sex slavery epidemic, and the second celebrates a recent decision to apply U.S minimum wage laws to laborers in Mariana Island.

My Reaction: "Plea to Congress to End Sexual Bondage in U.S. Islands"

What does it say about our country when states like South Dakota are trying to pass an abortion ban that makes no exceptions for rape, while women in U.S territory are being raped and sexually abused on a daily basis? It seems to me that sex trafficking has been a major issue for years, but it has not received the attention it deserves because of its taboo nature. If the white American male in power does not care to put his time and money toward protecting the lives of these impoverished and desperate young women, then we might as well just give these rapists and kidnappers the green light to continue. The Mariana Island economy relies heavily on the garment factories which produce clothes with labels that brag “Made in the USA.” If the United States benefits from these factories, and if these factories produce clothing for the U.S, then they should certainly abide by the same strict set of labor and immigration laws as the rest of the country has to.

My Reaction: "Ending the Mariana Mambo"

It's difficult to imagine that there is actually a place in the United States where conditions as horrible as these really exist. It is about time that these garment factories, which produce goods for the United States, and from which the United States benefits, start abiding by the laws. It is absolutely appalling that the Mariana Islands, which are considered a U.S territory, are allowed to produce garments that sport a “Made in the USA” label if their workers and citizens do not have to live by U.S law. Although extending minimum-wage restrictions to the Mariana Islands is a start, what about the sex trafficking epidemic? Hundreds of women are being bought and sold into the sex trade for little or no money, while others are being kidnapped or duped into thinking that they are going to have a better life. Hopefully, after last week’s hearings, the Mariana Islands will be brought into U.S jurisdiction in matters of both labor and immigration.