It's easy, here in America, to buy things without thinking about where they came from, how they were made, and what it took to get them to you. Every once in a while, though, we get a glimpse into a supply chain, and the glimpse we get can be disturbing.

A new report by the Solidarity Center found that Wal-Mart and other major retailers are selling shrimp processed in facilities with brutal, slave like conditions. Here's an excerpt from the CNN story:

The center's 40-page report found sexual and physical abuse, debt bondage, child labor and unsafe working conditions are common in Thailand and Bangladesh's shrimp processing factories, and that Thai plants often use trafficked workers.

"There's so much slime on the floor you can hardly stand up, and that just keeping your bearing and footing while you are trying to do work that involves using sharp knives," Ellie Larson, the executive director of the Solidarity Center, told CNN.

"They are treated in ways I'm sure most American people think went by in the days of slavery. In fact that's the kind of conditions these workers are engaged in -- slave conditions," Larson said.

CNN reports that Wal-Mart was the only company to respond to the story, and their response leaves a lot to be desired. In it, the Wal-Mart spokesperson writes "Although we have not seen the Solidarity Center's report, we are working with our suppliers to investigate the allegations shared by CNN. We're not aware of any issues in our supply chain,"

With all the negative press Wal-Mart has been getting lately, wouldn't you think they'd try as hard as they could not to have their name linked with slave labor? Of course, they'd have to do more than fix the issues with their Shrimp supply. Many of the factories Wal-Mart uses around the world have similar issues that Wal-Mart has not addressed. No, Wal-Mart is too interested in the low costs associated with using children and trafficked slaves to make the goods they sell to fix the massive problem.

Read the full CNN article here, and check out the Solidarity Center's Web Site where you can download the full report.