Most of the clothes that we wear are produced in countries like Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan.
In many of these countries, the minimum wage is very low, and at many textile factories, workers don’t make a living wage. While the minimum wage is a legally-mandated pay rate, a living wage is a holistic measure. It’s the minimum income needed for someone to meet their basic needs, such as food, housing and clothing. Living wages differ based on where one lives, just as minimum wages differ based on the laws of different countries.
What You Wear is a Humanitarian Issue. Here’s Why.
Some of the larger factories in Pakistan, which are part of the organized sector of the industry, supply international apparel brands. But most garment factories in Pakistan cater to the domestic market, with the work carried out in small unregistered workshops in unmarked buildings that escape labor inspectors’ scrutiny.
The working conditions in these smaller factories are usually worse than those in larger ones that are more likely to be inspected, Human Rights Watch found. Owners often refuse to pay the statutory minimum wage and hire workers on short-term oral contracts. However, Human Rights Watch documented violations of labor rights including long working hours and extended temporary employment without job security or benefits even in large Pakistani factories, including some that supply garments to international retailers and brands.
Workers, many of them women, also said that they experienced verbal abuse, were pressured not to take toilet breaks, and were even denied clean drinking water. In two factories, Human Rights Watch documented beatings of workers by managers.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/23/pakistan-garment-workers-rights-risk
