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The Empire's New Clothes

"Once I came to America, I worked in a factory as a seamstress. There was a lot of pressure in this job. In those years, I worked 365 days a year. Starting from 8 - 8:30 am, and working until at least 9 or 10pm. Often - til 10 or 12 or 2 or 3 in the morning. Sometimes I would have to sleep in the factory, and then in the morning at 8am, I would wash my face and brush my teeth and start working again."

Helen, a Chinese seamstress, was fired for demanding fair wages and other workers' rights. Because of her many years of work in a sweatshop, she suffers from breathing problems and backaches, and she can't live without painkillers and medication anymore. Helen is one of thousands of employees, most of whom are immigrant women, working in New York City's sweatshops.

Contrary to popular belief sweatshops do not just exist in faraway countries. There are thousands of them in the United States in such states as California and New York. New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world and the 20$ billion dollar apparel industry is the city's largest - employing more than 200,000 people in manufacturing, wholesale and related businesses.

The Department of Labor conservatively estimates that seventy percent of NYC's 7,000 garment factories are sweatshops. And yet, close to ninety percent of New York's Chinatown sweatshops are unionized.

Watch the Rights Alert and read more about sweatshops in New York City.

Also watch "Behind the Labels: Garment Workers on U.S. Saipan" to learn more about WITNESS' video campaign to support garment worker rights on the U.S. territory of Saipan in the Northern Marianas Island.