Who made your clothes?

 

On April 24, 2013, 1133 people were killed and over 2500 were injured when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Reflecting on the Rana Plaza tragedy, Pope Francis stated: "Living on $50 a month—that was the pay of these people who died. That is called slave labor."This tragedy exposed the oppressive conditions and exploitation of people that has long plagued the apparel industry.

 

Amidst the destruction, the clothing and tags found in the rubble were those found in our own closets, unveiling the connectedness of consumers to the people who create the clothes we buy. Many who died were afraid to enter the building but felt forced to do so after being threatened with losing a month’s pay. “While blame quickly extended from the owners of the building and the factories it contained, to the government of Bangladesh, to the retailers who sold the clothing, the culpability extends all the way down the supply chain—to us,” Jerry Davis, Professor at University of Michigan (Letter, NYT 05.08.13).

 

Our Catholic Social Teaching and the challenge by Pope Francis give Catholics an undeniable responsibility to address the ways we clothe ourselves each day to become more conscious of our connectedness to garment workers. "Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit . . . goes against God," Pope Francis said. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) exposes the globalization of indifference in a throw-away culture of mass consumerism. He calls for compassion for the victims of this reality, the working poor. In the words of Professor Davis: “If we want to see fewer tragedies like the one in Bangladesh, we as consumers need to reward the companies that make the effort to verify their supply chains and shun those that do not.”  

 

We can not remain indifferent. It is time to put our faith into action. The Human Thread is inviting Catholics and people of conscience everywhere to “sew together” a powerful coalition of conscience to enable better lives for those who sew our clothing for the simple reason that they are our brothers and sisters.