Session Recording:

Our virtual side session, hosted in collaboration with the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab as part of the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, took place on February 10, 2025.

The session centered on findings from a new report by GoodWeave and Rights Lab on the risks of forced and child labour in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector. Speakers shared findings from the study on forced and child labour, home-based work, and outsourcing linked to global RMG exports in Bangladesh, and shared actionable recommendations for more effective due diligence uptake. These topics generated significant interest, drawing over 600 attendees and more than 900 registrations.

Session Takeaways:

• Collaboration across stakeholders is necessary to improve conditions for workers, from social protection to business engagement. Transparency among stakeholders and the encouragement of tripartite collaboration are critical to balancing solutions. Brands have a powerful role to play in improving conditions and driving progress, especially at this time of reforms.
• Factory monitoring and worker engagement needs to increase particularly in subcontracting, home-based, and small workshop settings, where the study demonstrated that risks are higher.
• Access to educational opportunities is essential to combat child labor. Market-aligned vocational training is particularly important for adolescent workers who are of legal working age but need skill development to secure decent job opportunities.
• Living wages for RMG workers are vital to support their families and reduce the financial pressures that force young workers to leave school prematurely. To achieve this, social dialogue with worker groups is key to ensure labor improvement efforts.
• Promotion of fair distribution of power in the workplace can be achieved by strengthening trade unions and worker organization mechanisms. Greater representation of women in leadership—from factory management to representation committees—is crucial to address the needs and rights of the RMG sector’s majority-female workforce.

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
• Mohammad Mashooqur Rahman Sikder, Joint Secretary at Bangladesh Ministry of Labour and Employment
• Shamarukh Mohiuddin, Director, Cadmus Group; Director of Social Impact at University Press Limited; Board co-Chair at GoodWeave International

Research findings were 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

 
To learn more about the research findings and our recommendations for the Bangladeshi government, international buyers, local suppliers, non-governmental organizations and trade unions, please read our report, here.