Messages for help don’t always come in bottles. Sometimes they come hidden in the packaging of cheap Halloween decorations.

Julie Keith of Damascus, Oregon was shocked to find a handwritten letter apparently from an inmate at a Chinese labor camp pleading for help when she opened a pack of year-old Halloween decorations from Kmart, The Oregonian reports.

“If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization,” the letter, which Keith posted to Facebook, begins. It goes on to detail the harsh working conditions at a labor camp in Shenyang, China, and the description matches those common to what are officially known as re-education through labor camps in China, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, told The Oregonian.

(Scroll down to see the letter in its entirety)

Kmart released a statement saying the company is looking into the matter, according to Fox News:

"Sears Holdings has a Global Compliance Program which helps to ensure that vendors and factories producing merchandise for our company adhere to specific Program Requirements, and all local laws pertaining to employment standards and workplace practices. Failure to comply with any of the Program Requirements, including the use of forced labor, may result in a loss of business or factory termination. We understand the seriousness of this allegation, and will continue to investigate."

Calls to abolish such camps have recently increased as inmates are often taken to the camps for minor offenses and held there without trial, the New York Times reports. And not just a few of them. “Petty thieves and prostitutes to drug abusers” count among the 190,000 people put into China’s labor camps in 2009 United Nations estimates, according to CNN.

Working conditions at Chinese factories in general have gained increased media scrutiny, in part thanks to actions taken by those working there. In October, thousands of workers at Foxconn, which makes products for Apple and Samsung, among others, went on strike over poor work conditions. In 2010, a series of worker suicides at Foxconn led to stricter compliance with Chinese labor laws at the factories.

(Hat tip: Raw Story)

Check out the letter Keith found in the Halloween decorations below:

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• 10. Georgia

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -87,700 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 101,200 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 13,500 Georgia has lost a significant number of jobs, primarily in industries "including computers and electronic parts, textiles and apparel, and furniture," according to the EPI. One of the hardest hit districts in the country was the state's 9th congressional district, which is located in the northern part of the state and includes the city of Gainesville. Georgia has historically been known for its textile industry and remains one of the top cotton-producing states in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 9. Massachusetts

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -88,600 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 99,300 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 10,700 Two of the nation's 20 hardest-hit congressional districts are located in Massachusetts. The first of these is the 5th congressional district, which includes the cities of Lowell, one of the country's earliest textile centers, and Lawrence, home of a number of textile and electronics manufacturers. The state's neighboring 3rd congressional district also lost an exceptional number of jobs. This district includes Worcester, another historically significant textile city, which has since increased its technology industry. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 8. Ohio

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -103,500 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 124,100 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 13,500 Ohio is one of the U.S.'s biggest manufacturing states. It is home to major companies such as Procter & Gamble and AK Steel Corporation. However, the state's manufacturing sector is declining at a faster rate than the nation's. The automobile sector has had the highest unemployment growth since 2007, although companies in other sectors have contributed to sending jobs overseas as well. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 7. Pennsylvania

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -106,900 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 127,200 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 20,200 According to the <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/05D50BB1359146998A14847A37E512B7.ashx" target="_hplink">National Association of Manufacturers</a>, "Manufacturers in Pennsylvania account for 12.5 percent of the total output in the state" and employ "10 percent of the workforce." Politicians have been outspoken about China's effect on the state's economy. Senator Bob Casey recently stated that "Unfair Chinese trade practices harm Pennsylvania businesses ... and reduce their ability to create jobs." <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 6. North Carolina

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -107,800 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 122,400 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 14,600 North Carolina is home to three of the top 20 hardest hit districts in the U.S. Textiles and furniture are among the two industries that have lost the most jobs to China, according to the EPI report. North Carolina Congressman Howard Coble is co-sponsoring House Bill 639, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, to address this issue. "This bill will at least force China to compete on a level playing field with U.S. manufacturers," Coble is quoted as saying in the <a href="http://www2.journalnow.com/business/2011/sep/20/3/study-overseas-trade-has-cost-nc-more-than-100000--ar-1412177/" target="_hplink"><em>Winston-Salem Journal</em></a>. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 5. Florida

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -114,400 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 134,500 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 20,100 Florida is not normally considered to be a major manufacturing state, yet it does excel in some areas, such as medical device manufacturing. The state has lost almost 115,000 jobs to China from 2001 to 2010. Governor Rick Scott has been a <a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/192028/19/China-forges-business-relationship-with-Florida" target="_hplink">supporter</a> of business relations with China, but other local politicians have not been as hospitable. In 2007, Mayor John Mazziotti of Palm Bay <a href="http://consumerist.com/2007/10/florida-city-considers-a-ban-on-anything-made-in-china.html" target="_hplink">proposed a ban</a> on items made in China, stating that the city was "losing jobs left and right to them." <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 4. Illinois

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -118,200 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 139,400 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 21,200 Illinois is another traditional manufacturing power that has lost a significant number of jobs to China. Robert Scott, director of manufacturing and trade policy research for EPI, told Illinois <a href="http://wjbc.com/report-trade-with-china-costs-illinois-jobs/" target="_hplink">WJBC radio station</a> that "In Illinois you also have a large number of firms involved in industries like auto parts production and fabricated metal products, and those are industries that were hurt by the growth of imports from China." China also exports lots of electronics and specialty steel -- industries that were once major sectors in Illinois. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 3. New York

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -161,400 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 183,300 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 21,900 "New York has lost 140,000 predominantly middle-wage manufacturing jobs in recent years as a result of China's unfair labor practices," said James Parrott, deputy director and chief economist at the New York-based Fiscal Policy Institute in the <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/business/china-currency-manipulation-blamed-for-new-york-job-losses/18752/" target="_hplink"><em>Times Union</em></a>. New York Senator Chuck Schumer has <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703856704576285380858477662.html" target="_hplink">made efforts</a> to encourage China to further appreciate its currency. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 2. Texas

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -232,800 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 269,300 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 36,400 Texas has suffered greatly from the trade deficit with China due, largely, to the prominence of the computer and electronic parts industry in the state. Four of the top 20 congressional districts that lost the most jobs in the country are located in the state. Many Chinese companies have close ties with Texas. Two companies, Huawei and ZTE, have set up their U.S. headquarters in the state. Oil company CNOOC has also bought an exceptionally large amount of mineral rights in the state in order to extract shale oil. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

• 1. California

  <strong>Net job change:</strong> -454,600 <strong>Jobs lost:</strong> 519,000 <strong>Jobs gained:</strong> 64,300 California has lost almost half a million jobs to China, according to EPI. Like Texas, many of these were lost in the computer and electronic parts industry. Additionally, eight of the nation's 20 hardest hit districts are in the state. Governor Jerry Brown has proposed ways to win back jobs from China outside of the computer sector, such as green technology. In his race for governorship, Brown said that he would create thousands of clean-energy jobs, "reclaiming from China leadership of the cleantech economy." <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/09/22/states-losing-the-most-jobs-to-china/#ixzz1YhOOQ8Qq" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>