The US continues to support unpaid work in a pretty major way. I think unpaid internships being socially acceptable is one of the roots of this insidious habit. They've been illegal up here in Canada for a while and it hasn't really caused any economic disasters. It'd be a good change to advocate for down there as well.
And, honestly, internships aren't free for companies unless there is literally nothing of value being given to the intern, adding a low salary to these positions to make them affordable to people without independent savings or rich parents would just be more equitable while not significantly impacting employers. Internships are, in the best light, just a really good recruiting tool.