Ship Breakers of Bangladesh Organizer-Regan Robinson

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Ship Breakers of Bangladesh

Main topic

Does this film accomplish what it sets out to do?

I personally this film does an exceptional job on clearly stating the issue of Ship Breaking. It was able to get the point across clearly and effectively by using experts on the topic to share their own knowledge, opinions and facts. This was able to demonstrate to the audiecne that the information being provided to them was both creditable and reliable. The film had many people speak and share their opinions such as an author who had been studying the issue, an environmental lawyer as well as a man was who about to sell off his ship to the ship breaking company .This worked to help me clearly understand the topic and the issue from many different point of views. The film also had graphic and touching images that showcased the problem to help people really truly understand the importance of the issue. This helped me relate to the issue as well be able to visualize the issue. The film contained lots of relevant facts and statistics on issues such as labour laws, environmental laws etc. This also worked to contribute to the creditability of the film and help convince the audience on the importance of this issue. However, I found that the film does fall under the "infotainment" category. While it did have many factors that helped convince the audience that this was in fact an issue, it did not clearly state a way on how we personally can help solve this problem or how it can be stopped at all. Rather it just stated the issue and why it is an issue. Personally, it was not a "life changing" film as by not providing clear ways or ideas upon on how this issue can be stopped, it did not motivate me to think I can or should be doing anything about it.

Why Care?

Social/Cultural Perspectives the relationships amongst groups of people. How the society functions. Who makes the decisions and has influence?

The Bangladesh community has become almost dependent on the ship breaking industry to support it's citizens. Over 30,000 people work in the industry. They spend long and tough hours each and every day working in smoke, fames, heat, dirty, dangerous conditions just to make a dollar per day. These workers have no say as there are no unions. There is also no training or safety precautions taken, allowing more than 50 people to die in accidents each year. The workers live in baracoks with no beds, just left over pieces of steel from the ships they break. Many work very young, starting at Age 12. The owners of the ship breaking companies say that child labour is nessacary in order for people to get food, shelter and clothing. The ship breaking companies have a lack accountability for workers killed/ injured but these workers have no money to go anywhere else so they are forced to keep working.

Political Perspectives How decisions are made

Decisions for Ship Breaking are mostly just made by the Owners of the Ship Breaking companies. The country condemns the appalling work conditions, the low pay, and the lack of accountability for workers who are killed or injured, giving no voice to the workers but rather just allowing the owners of the companies to accumulate more money. The only proposal they do enforce is that that ships be cleaned of their toxic materials in the west, before they sail to Bangladesh. This is due to an international ban which prohibits the shipment of hazardous waste from rich countries to poorer countries.

Environmental Perspectives Impacts of human activity on the environment

In terms of the environment, ship breaking is very damaging to the environment. The owners of the ship breaking companies do not apply even minimal enviorment standards. Owners argue enviormentalism is a luxury reserved only for rich nations. They also say that if the companies did follow this environmental standards it would stop industry as they wouldn't be able to run and they would put 30,000 men out of work and deprive them from their source of steel. Ship breaking dumps steel and toxins into beaches and then leak into the astomoshpere. While 97 perecent of ships contaments are recycled, the other 3 percent of hazards waste, mercury and other toxins are left behind to fill and contaminate the beaches.

Economic Perspectives

From an economic perspective the Ship breaking industry is positively supporting the economy of Bangladesh and other poor countries throughout the world. Ship breaking companies employ over 30,000 citizens alone in Bangladesh. This helps provide them food, clothing and shelter. However, sadly these ship breaking companies do not follow proper labour laws and workers are forced to work in rough conditions for very little pay. This also dramatically takes away business from the American and English ship breaking companies who do the job properly by following all labour and environmental rules. Sadly, it makes the more finical sense for ship owners to have people pay to disassemble their ships rather than pay for it themselves to be disassembled.

Why There?

Why do would many countries in America and Europe send their old ship to countries, such as Bangladesh, for disposal?

This is specially started happening when a ship accidentally beached from a storm near Bangladesh and they started selling the steel off the ship and became wealthy. People caught on and started realizing that they could make a successful business off of this. The same business is more expensive to do in countries such as England and America as they do this on dry docks. Due to this, the owners of ships have to pay to have the process to be carried out. However in poorer countries such as Bangladesh ,they pay ship owners to give them their ships so that they can sell them for steel. Therefore, it makes more economic sense as by selling ships to be broken in poorer counties ship owners can make a profit.

What's Where?

What is the scale of the issue? eg. local, national, global

This issue is happening on a global level as it is happening in a number of poor countries throughout the world.

While this issue taking place in a number of poor countries throughout the world, above is be a map showing the country of Bangladesh, the country full of ship breaking companies shown in this film. The black arrow is pointing to the Bay of Bengal, where a majority of the ship breaking occurs in the Bangladesh.

Where is this happening?

This issue is happening in many poor countries throughout the world but in this film focuses on the ship breaking on the beach near the city of Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh.

State the issue as clearly as possible.

The issue occurring is that ships are being destroyed/dismantled in poor countries throughout the world such as Bangladesh because it has become the cheapest way. However, when these ships are being destroyed in these poor countries, the companies are breaking many environmental laws and steel and other toxins are being dumped and spilled into the environment, water and astomoshpere. On top on this, the working conditions are very dangerous and break many labour laws as workers work for only a dollar a day in smoke, fames, heat and dirty conditions.