Asia News on Sept. 5, 2020

Much of the hard-won rights of garment workers in Asia are being squandered away due to the economic effects of the coronavirus.

The latest Modern Slavery Index released by risk analytics company Verisk Maplecroft has seen garment manufacturing hubs like India and Bangladesh slipping down into the “extreme” category, joining the likes of China and Myanmar who exhibit the worst risk of slave labour. In other manufacturing hubs like Cambodia and Vietnam, the story is similar, thanks to the economic impact of the coronavirus, rampant labour rights violations and inadequate law enforcement.

The conditions are set to intensify, worsening the already precarious situation according to labour rights activists. There are 60 million people in Asia who work in the garments sector and many of their jobs are at risk because of the slowdown and falling sales. Those who lose their jobs are more likely to take up exploitative jobs out of desperation and may even be forced to make their children join the workforce.

https://www.theworkersrights.com/labour-rights/2020/09/05/covid-19-risks-pushing-garment-workers-into-modern-slavery/