Reflections of a Former Child Garment Worker — Inside the Sweatshop: Part 2

Working in a sweatshop as a child shaped my view of work and wealth as an American immigrant. I was six years old when I started. Part 2 of 4.

Continued from Part 1

Reflections of a Former Child Garment Worker — Inside the Sweatshop: Part 1

Keeping it Secret — Sweatshop Raids in the 90s

During the 90s, crackdowns on sweatshops in Los Angeles suburbs made our work seem secretive. The Clinton administration even formed a “sweatshop task force” around the time my parents started their work.

This task force aimed to protect garment workers enslaved in factories.

While we were contracted garment workers and had better conditions compared to those unsponsored foreigners who were trafficked into the country, it was still a challenging environment.

We were lucky not to be swept up in raids and were blessed to have come into the country through traditional means. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Fortunately, we were sponsored by my uncle to come to America, which spared us from the plight of many exploited workers.