My Whole World in My Hands

“My children are mine. I don’t want to send them to an orphanage or to live with someone else. If I have a job, I should be able to feed my own children.”
- Ethical fashion worker, Ketia

Living in a third world country for the past 10 years, I have learned to not take for granted the privilege I have been given to raise my own children.  My children live with me. I can feed them. We have a roof over our heads. They go to school. When they are sick, I have the ability to take them to a doctor.  I get to tuck them in each night, and hug them each day. I have the blessing of holding my whole world in my hands.

This is not true for vulnerable families around the world.  This is not even true for vulnerable families we have a direct connection with. I am talking about the people - the parents - who make our clothes, shoes, backpacks, and handbags. I had no idea the toll our quickly changing fashion trends and demand for cheap prices were taking on those living in poverty around the world until I moved to one of the countries, and lived in one of the cities, where tens of thousands of garment workers struggle to survive.

Can I be honest about something else?  Watching, listening, or reading the news exhausts me. I find that so many stories are either trying to hype us up with sensationalized drama, or tell us about a gut wrenching tragedy that we can’t do anything to change; like people who have died horrific deaths, deadly viruses that claim new victims everyday, or countries torn by war and famine. The stories are told in a way that facts and opinions are simply stated, sometimes a slight shake of the head or a downward gaze is given by the reporter, and then the next headline gets rattled off. Rather than feeling ignited to go out into a hurting world and make a difference, the news often leaves me feeling immobile and depressed. There is little inspiration offered to be the change this world needs. I don’t know how people without Jesus can watch the news without feeling utterly depressed! With all of the tragedies and heartaches that surrounds me, each passing news story has me clinging more tightly to John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Some translations say “but be courageous”, “but have courage”, or “but be of good cheer”. I love that it does not say Jesus will overcome the world, but that he has. All of the awfulness, all of the pain, all of the violence has been overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ.

There is a deep, ugly sorrow that often makes our headlines. It is a horrific story that continues to needlessly repeat itself. It is an unthinkable tragedy that results in too many deaths and torn apart families. At first glance, it might seem like another news story that we don’t have the power to do something about, but in fact, I believe the opposite is true. I believe we are the only ones who can do something about it. We hold the power to stop it from happening again. Here is an example of one such story:

On December 9, 2019 there was a factory fire in Delhi, India.  The CNN Headline read:

“The fire swept through the five-story building in the early hours of Sunday, as laborers and factory workers were asleep inside. Some died due to asphyxiation, officials said. "The problem was the smoke -- all the windows and doors were shut and there was dense smoke inside," said Sunil Choudhary, deputy chief fire officer.  "No one could get out. There was an iron door and it was locked and people were brought out only after we broke the door open. It had become a toxic chamber."

An eyewitness said some workers had tried to escape from a terrace, but it was locked. "There are no proper ways to climb or get down, there is no fire safety, there is nothing," Mohammad Samar said, adding that this was not the first blaze at the site…Samar said a number of small, unauthorized factories had been renting out space in the building, and that the complete lack of safety provisions was widely known.

Another eyewitness, who helped with rescue efforts, said he had seen boys trying to escape from the factory's roof, while others desperately crowded near sealed windows. "I saw that the boys, who were standing there on the roof, they started screaming ... calling out to me ... saying 'Mullah sir please save me,'" Mohammad Manzur said.”

We have to ask ourselves, why were the factory workers sleeping inside?  Why were they locked up in a chamber with no exit? How old were these “boys” trapped inside that they were not viewed as “men”? Why would they be working and sleeping in a factory?

After searching for some answers, I read on Wikipedia that the factory produced school bags and shoes.  It was operating in a residential area. According to the local fire chief, the building lacked a proper fire license and its use as a factory was illegal.  The Delhi Fire service had stated that the factory had no fire clearance or permits to operate and was illegal, and that safety equipment was unavailable.

What kinds of brands are hiring factories that are operating illegally?  Were my shoes or backpack made in conditions that had no permits or safety precautions for the workers?

According to an NPR article, the Delhi fire chief says the factory didn't even have a single fire extinguisher. These workers, who made as little as $2 a day, were every bit as human and created in God’s image as you and I are. Mohammed, one of the fathers trapped inside the smokey chamber made a phone call to his friend before asphyxiating on the smoke. As his dying request, he said, "Monu, take care of my children and my home.” Monu rushed to the capital city, four hours from where he lived, only to find his friend was among the dead. We would be sorely mistaken to believe that this fire was an isolated incident. In fact, earlier last year, 17 people died in a fire in the very same wholesale market.

As long as we continue to prioritize cheaper prices over the value of human life, fast fashion workers will continue dying.  Further education into the fashion industry reveals that the worker’s lives and health are the expense of low prices. We have the power to see that no more fathers like Mohammed are separated from their children, sleeping in illegal chambers, for a mere $2 a day, only to die and leave their children as orphans. We have the power to say, enough is enough. No more factory deaths. We have the power, because we are the consumers, and consumers create demand.

I am going to share more about how to live out that power in my next post. Today, I hope a little fire is burning in your soul to know better, so you can do better. Mohammed’s family and millions of other garment workers need us to educate ourselves and stand for justice. While you are at it, if you have children, hug them. Hug them everyday. Not every parent gets to do that.

His Kingdom come, His will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.