Bangladesh Garments, Where Humanity Cries

The urban-based Bangladesh garments industry is the biggest contributor to country’s economy, but unfortunately its workers are tremendously humiliated. Aiming at finding out the causes and effects of their miseries and... [ view full abstract ]

The urban-based Bangladesh garments industry is the biggest contributor to country’s economy, but unfortunately its workers are tremendously humiliated. Aiming at finding out the causes and effects of their miseries and possible solutions, this review is done. In 1984-1985, the sector had only one million workers at 384 factories with an export for US$116 million. Later the industries grew exponentially and in 2011-2012, the number of factories rose up to 5,400 with 40 million workers to earn US$19,090 million which was 79% of the total export of Bangladesh for US$24,288. Despite huge growth in the sector, the workers are hugely deprived. During 2006 to October 2010, a worker received US$23 a month which was raised to US$40 in 2010 and now it is about $65 which is still very insufficient to meeting their basic needs. The international buyers control 80% of profit and the rest 20% goes to the owners to maintain their luxurious livelihood keeping the workers seriously vulnerable. They have insufficient drinking water, dirty living environment and inadequate access to medical and toilet facilities for which they suffer from various diseases including diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia, lower- and upper-respiratory illnesses and other vector-borne diseases. Many work in a dilapidated situation in their workstations with lots of risks. The Tajreen Fashion and Rana Plaza accidents are the most recent examples of their miseries which killed 112 and 1,130 workers respectively. This is a clear humiliation and both owners and buyers should come together to increase workers’ wage and facilities to a standard level. The retail buyers should also press them to pay a competitive wage to the poor garments workers in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world. The respective governments should also come up to save the workers from humiliation.