Swede highlights plight of Cambodian garment workers

Twenty-five-year-old Swede Nina Zita is dedicating her energy to fighting the cause of Cambodian garment workers, who have to work 48 hours a week to earn $45 a month.

"If we, as consumers, demand better working conditions for these workers, we can help them. My friends in Cambodia, who struggle every day to live their daily life, give me the inspiration to keep on working," Ms Zita said in an interview.

She has been in Malta since the beginning of September on a 10-month exchange with the European Voluntary Service. During her stint in Malta, Ms Zita, who has co-produced a film on the Cambodian garment workers entitled Courageous Hearts Without Retreat, is working with the Koperattiva Kummerc Gust.

Tomorrow, she will be addressing a seminar entitled Caught In (Cotton) A Dirty Business organised by the cooperative at St James Cavalier between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. as part of the Taste The World Campaign. Her film will also be shown at the seminar.

Ms Zita first went to Cambodia in 2002 on an exchange visit. It was there that she was able to witness first hand the plight of the world's poor.

She realised how lucky she was to have been born in Sweden and on her return home joined a peace organisation.

One day, a journalist working on a story regarding exploited garment workers asked for the organisation's help to raise awareness.

Inspired by her first youth exchange, Ms Zita organised a youth exchange pairing Swedes and Cambodians. The aim was to give Swedes an idea of what it means to be a garment worker in Cambodia and connect the Swedish consumers to the Cambodian producers.

This exchange, which took place in summer 2004, was funded by the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency.

In Cambodia, the Swedes could meet and interview the garment workers. And the film, which had not been planned, was produced.

Ms Zita said that during this visit to Cambodia, which included trips to factories, she was overwhelmed by the noise of hundreds of sewing machines working at the same time, as well as the smell and dust inside the factories.

Ironically, however, these jobs are often the only opportunity for Cambodians aged between 18 and 25 to earn some money, as they would otherwise have ended up planting rice in the countryside. Yet once they paid their rent, water, electricity and food, all that remained of their wage was less than half a dollar.

These employees were forced to work overtime by their employer so they ended up working at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week. This was akin to slavery, Ms Zita said.

When it was the Cambodians' turn to visit Sweden, they were taken to the shops which sold their clothing, and one of them recognised one of the trousers sewn at her factory from the code. She was shocked at its selling price which was more than her monthly salary.

Ms Zita's intention is to raise awareness and urge producers to pay better salaries and respect basic human rights.

However, finding a solution is difficult, because if the Cambodians are paid better wages, their business would go elsewhere to cheaper destinations.

"But should companies be allowed to continue making the huge profits they are making when so many people are suffering?" Ms Zita asked.

"If we, as consumers, demand better working conditions for these people, we will get them."

Moreover, the role of governments should be to represent their people and not to allow their abuse.

Ms Zita has been showing her film at schools and non-governmental organisations in Malta and Gozo.