Stephen Cassar, Sunday Circle

Look at the label of your newest item of clothing. What does the name evoke? Glamour, beauty, fashion. Impossibly thin goddesses parading in astonishing outfits that fit them perfectly like a second skin. On closer examination one might notice , written in small print at the bottom, “made in china”.

The first thought that would creep into mind might be. “That Chinese guy must be filthy rich by now with all the cash I spend on clothes”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. A Google search and few clicks on the web will reveal the cruel reality. The price paid for that beautiful suite or dress is roughly the month’s wage of the workers who actually sowed it. While company executives enjoy multi million dollar budgets, the third world workers, who made the actual outfit, are left with barely enough cash to cover food, rent and transport to and from the factory.

The lack of any surplus income is just one of the many hardships faced by textile factory workers. The working conditions are appalling. A shift last for at least 14 hours, bathrooms are locked and are available to employees only once a day for a few minutes and employees can instantly loose their job for even the most minor of offences.

This will be the theme of this year’s Taste The World event, called “Caught in a dirty industry”. The aim of the one day festival is to raise awareness about the situation of the garment workers and also suggest ways in which the general public can counter the grave injustices happening today.

Taste The World opens at 10am on the 9th December in St. James Cavalier in Valletta. The program includes short films on the subject, foreign speakers and various musical artists. Stalls selling fair traded goods will be open from the opening till 10pm. Entrance is free.