Human Rights and the Hispanic Writer:
The Institutionalization of Human Rights Violations
Eportfolio Reflective Essay
Daniel Bradford
SP-311WX
November 25, 2013
Help Received: None
Daniel J. Bradford
In taking Human Rights and the Hispanic Writer, I have learned much of the cultural
impacts that human rights issues have had on the inhabitants of Spanish-speaking countries. For
my extended research topic, I chose to analyze the negative impacts that maquiladora
manufacturing has had on the culture and citizens of Mexico. Specifically, I focused on how
globalization and Mexico’s decision to enter the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) intensified the negative effects of maquiladoras and the violations of human rights that
occur in the factories. Throughout the semester, I have completed various assignments and
studies, which convinced me on the presence of a broader theme in Mexico and other Spanishspeaking countries: being that the violation of human rights have almost become institutionalized
in under-developed Spanish-speaking countries due to the lack of attention they receive from the
outside world. As a result of the lack of international awareness, the citizens in these underdeveloped countries feel that they cannot improve their circumstances and thus results in their
acceptance of the repressive hand they have been dealt. In this essay, I seek to illustrate how I
came to discover this broader theme through referencing the various artifacts that I completed
throughout the duration of the semester.
The video blogs (vlogs) forced me to stay engaged with my research topic on a weekly
basis. At the end of every week I had to produce a new video blog that covered a new aspect of
my human rights topic. The production of each entry contributed to my intellectual development
as a student of the humanities because every vlog offered me the uncommon opportunity to
become well versed on human rights issues that occur outside my home country. We are
fortunate to be living in an age where we can discover almost any desirable information by
clicking a few buttons on a keyboard. Yet, it is very rare for individuals outside of Spanishspeaking countries to be knowledgeable on the violations of human rights that occur within those
countries. This is part of the problem that I reference in my thesis; since individuals are unaware
of the oppression that takes place in Spanish-speaking countries they cannot offer assistance to
those in need. Therefore, the first artifact that I chose to list in this eportfolio is the first vlog that
I produced in Human Rights and the Hispanic Writer.
As I point out in the artifact, the topic I chose was maquiladora manufacturing in Mexico
and how the globalization of the Mexican economy has led to an increase in the maquila
manufacturing sector of the Mexican economy. In completing this artifact I obtained the
necessary historical background for my topic and gained a sound foundation for continuing my
research throughout the semester. As I state in the vlog entry, Mexico’s choice to globalize their
economy is illustrated by their decision to enter NAFTA. In opening up their borders for free
trade between the United States and Canada, Mexico experienced an increase in Maquila
manufacturing.
My second artifact comes from the fourth video blog that I completed during the
semester. The objective of this vlog focused on the evaluation of a scholarly article that was
written about my human rights topic. In completing this artifact, I furthered my evaluation and
understanding of the issues associated with human rights violations in Spanish-speaking
countries. I emphasize in the artifact that NAFTA is largely responsible for the rise of
maquiladora manufacturing that has occurred in Mexico since the country entered the regional
trade agreement. This artifact led me to begin gathering information about the horrid working
conditions in the factories. A more comprehensive account, of the conditions that are present in
maquila factories, is given in another artifact that I have made available in this eportfolio. The
completion of this artifact allowed me to further my journey of discovery concerning the
persistence of violations in human rights in Spanish-speaking countries.
The most challenging assignment for me to complete in the course was creating the script
for my Public Service Announcement (PSA). While this assignment was the most challenging, it
was simultaneously the most rewarding because it forced me to look more deeply into my human
rights topic and adopt persuasion as a means of prompting my video audience to action. Through
this assignment, I learned how human rights violations impact the citizens and cultures of
Spanish-speaking countries in ways the press does not always cover. As a result of the important
learning experience I gained from completing this assignment, I chose to list it as my next
artifact in this eportfolio.
This artifact was challenging for me because there is only a limited amount of reliable
information that is available to the general public concerning my human rights topic. Mexico and
NAFTA have taken large measures to keep the international community from obtaining reliable
information about the issues caused by the trade agreement. Since the economies of the US and
Mexico benefit from the low production costs associated with maquila manufacturing, they seek
to preserve the current operations. I reference in this artifact that the dreadful working conditions
and violations of human rights, which surround maquila manufacturing in Mexico, have only
worsened since Mexico globalized its economy. Many young females are employed in
maquiladoras and receive very little compensation for the countless hours of work that they put
in. In addition to insufficient wages, the working conditions are terrible and the proper safety
equipment that is offered to the workers is virtually nonexistent. I was able to gather and analyze
all of the details associated with the work hours, labor conditions, and wages associated with
maquiladoras by constructing my PSA script, which is illustrated in this artifact.
The culminating assignment that I completed in Human Rights and the Hispanic Writer
and the final artifact that I reference in this eportfolio, is my PSA production. The writing and
filming of the PSA required me to synthesize all that I had learned in a simple and concise
manner for distribution to others who would otherwise not have known about the abuses of
human rights along our border. This artifact offers a visual representation of the issues associated
with Mexican maquiladoras and seeks to publicize the human rights violations that occur in
them. Also, this artifact presents the viewer with a resource to further their understanding of
human rights violations in Spanish-speaking countries and to potentially reduce their
occurrences. This artifact serves as a visual and audio representation of all of the research and
study that I conducted for my human rights topic throughout the semester and its completion was
extremely rewarding for me as a student of the humanities.
My PSA artifact is significant to me and the time I spent in SP-311WX because it
illustrates my attempt to challenge the broad theme that I discovered in Mexico and other
Spanish-speaking countries. I contested the theme by publicizing my human rights issue and in
doing this I hoped I could improve public awareness on the violations of human rights that are
ongoing in Spanish-speaking countries. The protection, development, and improvement of
human rights should be a focus for everyone. In the modern age we are all citizens in a global
society and it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that all peoples receive protection over
the fundamental human rights that we all have been granted. SP-311WX has broadened my
outlook on the cultures that exist in the world and has brought me to realize that all cultures are
unique from one another. Spanish-speaking countries and their cultures are distinct and we
should first realize this if we are to successfully reduce the violations of human rights that occur
in them.