One of the most important things to understand is that the women who work in these clothing factories have their rights violated in a major way. Ever since the maquilas [low-wage clothing factories] arrived in Honduras, they have not had to pay taxes. Workers there can’t unionise. Some women aren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom when they have to. And when women working in these places at some point demand better conditions, they can all be fired immediately. Not just one or two people, but the entire group. It’s horrible.Many of the things that are bought in countries in the north are produced in places where women experience enormous human rights violations. In some cases, there are women who earn just 3,000 lempiras per month. That’s less than $130. But the factory owners offer that salary to them and say, ‘Take it or leave it’, because we are also living in a country where there are really limited jobs. So the factory owners don’t care at all about the working conditions.Palm oil is a monoculture crop that not only damages the land, but also hurts people’s ability to feed themselves because they’re not able to produce basic staples like rice and beans when the land is being used to produce palm oil. Palm oil is most often used in soaps, but there are companies that use it in makeup and cosmetics, too. It’s also made into cooking oil for food products.It’s also important to know about the working conditions in the palm oil industry and how they affect women’s health. One issue in particular is that when they are producing the palm oil, there are palm seeds that fall down, and it’s mostly women whose job it is to collect them. The problem is that the trees and plants are sometimes sprayed with toxic substances, and some of the women go and pick up the seeds without any protection – no gloves, no mask, nothing. The workers aren’t told that it can be a health hazard. For me, it’s also a major human rights issue, because later on, it isn’t just the women who get sick, it can be their children as well.That’s why I think it’s important for young people who live in Europe and the U.S. to investigate really closely what the working conditions are like for the people producing the products they buy.One fundamental piece of advice is that you don’t have to lose your roots. Young people have to understand that we are always connected to our ancestors, to our grandparents, to our mothers and to our communities. We need to ask ourselves why we live in a state and a system that can be dehumanising and that teaches us to be individualistic and only think about ourselves. We have to realise that we are part of a bigger collective. There are many hands, many thoughts, many hearts that we can bring together to find the answers when we feel as though we are drowning or we don’t know what to do.Ed. note: This interview has been translated from Spanish and edited for length and clarity.The Rainforest Foundation UK ranks brands that produce palm oil to help consumers make educated choices. And labour organisers in the global garment industry suggest many ways consumers can get involved and engage with their favourite brands to help improve working conditions.