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.
The 21-day lockdown has inadvertently exposed the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers in India. The construction sector contributes to around 9% of the country's GDP and employs the highest number of migrant workers across India with 55 million...Read More
This research report conducted by GoodWeave International on the status of carpet, home textile, and apparel workers in South Asia confirms that the impacts of COVID-19 have resulted in extreme hardship for informal workers and their families. Docum...Read More
The global electronics sector is comprised of powerful corporations—the 49 largest information communications and technology (ICT) companies have a combined market capitalization of US $5 trillion and combined annual profits of almost US$1 trillio...Read More
This paper reflects on the implications of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on modern slavery risks in supply chains. We first reason that the global supply and demand shock resulting from COVID-19 exacerbates workers’ vulnerability to modern s...Read More
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