What:

GoodWeave International and University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab side session at the 2025 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector.

When:

Monday, February 10, 2025 at 8:00 – 9:15 AM EST | 2:00 – 3:15 PM CET | 7:00 – 8:15 PM BST

Background:

Whilst efforts to improve working conditions in Bangladesh’s RMG sector have advanced in the last decade, there is still little understanding and evidence of worker exploitation in hidden, subcontracted tiers of supply chains. This session will provide first-hand insights into lesser-investigated topics of forms of modern slavery and child labour, home-based work, and outsourcing linked to global RMG exports in Bangladesh, and offer actionable recommendations for more effective due diligence uptake.

Session Highlights:

• Presentation of findings from community-based research on modern slavery conducted across 20 industrial clusters in Dhaka and Chattogram in 2023-2024, funded by UK International Development from the UK government.
• Panel discussion featuring speakers from key stakeholder groups to discuss the research findings, challenges, and progress in human rights due diligence in the RMG sector in Bangladesh.
• Recommendations and successes for industry stakeholders to identify and mitigate worker exploitation and improve working conditions in RMG supply chains.

Speakers:

• Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey. Member of UK House of Lords, Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, author and activist (Moderator)
• Nazma Akter, Founder and Executive Director, Awaj Foundation; President, Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation
• Ashraf Uddin, Executive Director, Bangladesh Labour Foundation
• More speakers to be announced soon!

Research findings presented by:

• Anastasiia Kliuha, Rights Lab Research Fellow in Antislavery Policy and Interventions, University of Nottingham
• Dan Karlin, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Manager, GoodWeave International