First, in January, when the transportation of raw materials from China to other garment producing countries was suspended, many factories were forced to close temporarily. The next wave hit as the pandemic spread to Europe and the United States (US). In response to a sudden drop in consumer demand for apparel, brands cancelled and refused to pay for shipments of completed and in production orders. As a result, factories were forced to close and dismiss workers in mass. Each time factories were forced to close, workers were often sent home without notice or pay from their employers. For example, in Bangladesh, 72.4% of furloughed and 80.4% of dismissed workers were sent home unpaid in March 2020. The third wave of devastation continues, as the virus itself spreads in garment producing countries. At the time of writing this report, many factories remain closed and millions of workers remain unpaid.
Tens of thousands of garment workers in Cambodia will struggle to repay microfinance debts during work stoppages and factory suspensions caused by COVID-19, creating a mounting human rights crisis as they struggle to feed their families and hold ont...Read More
The COVID-19 outbreak has been affecting Asia since January 2020. It is now a global pandemic, with over 5.7 million cases detected in 168 countries and over 352,000 deaths globally as of 27 May 2020. Much of the world has implemented severe quarant...Read More
This information sheet provides guidance for entities about how to reduce the risk of vulnerable workers in their operations and supply chains becoming exposed to modern slavery as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This informat...Read More
Authors: Livia Wagner, Thi Hoang The policy brief was originally posted here on GI-TOC website, as part of its #CovidCrimeWatch initiative. The coronavirus is not only claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, but is also causing a global econo...Read More
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