A new report from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) claims that the women garment workers in India are facing more abuse in the workplace because of pandemic-era behaviour by global fashion brands.
The report claims that it is based on testimonies from 90 women garment workers in 31 factories across three of India’s biggest garment-producing regions. These factories work for top brands and retailers like American Eagle Outfitters, Levi Strauss & Co, H&M and VF Corporation.
Levi’s & H&M has said that they have longstanding commitment to creating safe, productive workplaces for workers across their supply chain and following up with its suppliers in this regard.
American Eagle and VF Corporation haven’t responded on this as yet.
Alysha Khambay, Senior Researcher and interim head of labour rights at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and an author of the report says that the unchecked systemic violence in the global garment supply chain can lead to really catastrophic events. Workplace exploitation is linked directly to brands’ purchasing practices, which are problematic across the entire industry.
The report recommends brands conduct effective human rights due diligence for gender-based violence and harassment in collaboration with women workers; transform purchasing practices that create or exacerbate risk factors and invest in violence prevention and grievance mechanisms at factory level.
