As someone who's been to actual factories overseas, they don't have to have brutal conditions. Factory conditions actually vary.

But you are right about those local areas. Companies choose these areas because labor is cheap due to it being a developing country. Many of these countries are very poor and lack social safety nets. I remember reading once that a factory closed down in a developing country, and thousands of young kids were forced into the sex trade. It's a brutal reality that doesn't get acknowledged. If I was a 9 year old girl, I would much rather work 12 hours straight sewing than being raped by grown men all day.

That doesn't mean people should be exploited, but it also doesn't mean they have the average developed country life available to them.

Everyone likes to believe they haven't inadvertently supported these horrific working conditions, but at some point they have because ethical consumerism under capitalism isn't a reality. At some point, we have all bought a product that was made by exploited workers.