China is home to at least 1,000 forced labor camps, called Laogai, whose goods wind up on the shelves of retailers such as “Wal-Mart, Home Depot, K-Mart, Target, Lowes, and dozens of other U.S. corporations.” [1] The camps were originally set up in the 1950s by Mao and have endured despite increasing awareness by the outside world of what life is like for its untold number of inmates.Here is just a snapshot of what one can expect upon entering the Chinese slave labor system, according to a report from the Asian Human Rights Commission:  

• Average age of a worker in a typical Chinese toy factory: between 12- and 15-years-old.
• Typical wage of workers in Asian toy factories: from as little as 6 cents an hour up to 40 cents an hour (in U.S. dollar terms).
• Typical number of hours worked in a day during busy periods: up to 19.
• Typical number of days worked per week: 6.
• Young workers work all day in 104-degree temperature, handling toxic glues, paints, and solvents.
• Workers weakened by illness and pregnant workers, who are supposed to have legal protection, are forced to quit.
• The typical profile of workers in these factories involves single young women migrants from rural areas to the cities in search of jobs