According to a report by the Business & Human Rights Resource Center (BHRC), at least 60,800 garment workers in Myanmar have been victims of labor and human rights abuses.
Since February, when a military coup illegally seized power, Myanmar’s garment workers – 90 percent of them women – have been at the forefront of the country’s civilian troubles under new military rule.
Many organizations are demanding that fashion companies pull out of Myanmar and relocate production to other countries where the safety of workers can be guaranteed.
Currently, almost 25 million people are victims of forced labor worldwide every year, with more than 60 percent of them being exploited in the private sector, BHRC figures show. Retail giant Inditex, which manufactures its Zara and Bershka brands, has received at least 9 allegations of abuse. But other popular brands and retailers are also associated with allegations of abuse: H&M has 6, Lidl 8 and Bestseller 9.
More than 100 cases in 70 factories
The BHRC said its surveillance program had recorded over 100 cases of abuse in 70 factories. These factories produce garments for 32 global brands and retailers including Adidas, Bestseller, C&A, Inditex, Fast Retailing, Guess, H&M, Lidl, Next, Matalan and Primark.
Garment workers in Myanmar earn less than US$2 a day and sew the clothes for the world’s most profitable brands. The BHRC states in its report: “In these circumstances, apparel brands must remember that inaction is not an option: they must at a minimum undertake enhanced, ongoing human rights due diligence to determine their ability to responsibly source from Myanmar suppliers ; where this is not the case, responsible exit strategies should be considered to comply with the international standards that brands have adopted.”
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.