But that depends on how one looks at the situation. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and in any place subject to its jurisdiction, such as Saipan. Although Judge Munson determined that placement fee payments are legitimate debts, this does not address whether workers trapped by their employers, physically or out of fear, are involuntary servants. The case has again been stalled as plaintiffs wait for appeals court to review this latest decision of Judge Munson.
Tourists to the new luxury resorts of Saipan generally won't see this underclass of foreign faces and the unpleasant implications of its presence that is feeding the island's boom. Tourists usually come to see the jungle green and ocean blue of the island, the night sky illuminated by an orgy of stars and an orgy of neon. They see only the land of tropical luxury resorts in which cheap, foreign labor does not exist - unless it can provide the tourists with a service. "Guest relations officers" are in demand to satisfy the seedy underbelly of Saipan's tourism trade.
"It was a chance for me to save money, to help my family and to give my four kids an education," one Philippine worker explained to the Micronesian Seminar documentary maker why she accepted a job on Saipan. "I would be a waitress... But when I arrived here, my job was different - not a waitress, but an 'entertainer,' sitting with guests, massaging them."
This worker and another lived above the nightclub where they worked as 'entertainers' and were forbidden from leaving the premises. Being assaulted by guests was part of their jobs, they say. One recounted that a guest set her hair on fire. Another guest strangled her. Finally they fled, finding refuge in a safe house. But each was unemployed in a foreign land without a proper work visa, heavily in debt, and without means of returning home.
In discussing her decision to flee, the second woman explained, "I said to myself, this is different. I am not seen as an 'entertainer,' but a prostitute... Our employer didn't care if we got hurt or if we got mauled. What was important was that we did our job. I asked myself why is this happening? I'm being degraded."
Perhaps this should not be as appalling as it sounds. The purpose of economic development is, after all, to make money, and for centuries trading in human flesh and human labor have been money-making rackets. Even on United States soil, it appears, the degradation that they entail is only a by product of improving living conditions.
Sweatshop Watch has reported that since garment industry lawsuits were filed in Saipan and California in 1999, 18 of the 26 United States clothing retailers named in the suits have settled. It reports that the suits proceed against the following retailers:
- GAP Inc.
- Dayton Hudson/Associated Merchandising Corp. (Target and Mervyns)
- J.C. Penney
- Lane Bryant (The Limited)
- Levi Strauss & Co.
- Brooks Brothers
- Talbots
- Abercrombie and Fitch
For more information about Saipan see:
