Human Rights: Cambodian factories pegged again

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Mar 16, 2015

The NGO Human Rights Watch has published a report focused on Cambodian textile and clothing manufacturers. Forced overtime, pregnancy-based discrimination, and anti-union practices plague the industry, with neither brands nor elected attempting to fix these problems.
 

Human Rights Watch’s 140-page report documents abuses reported by an on-site survey. The abuses have particularly affected women, who represent 90% of the local workforce. The report serves as an opportunity to pressure leading brands to uphold the principals that they profess. The NGO has mentioned brands including Adidas, Armani, Gap, H&M, Joe Fresh and Marks & Spencer. 

Since January 1, the minimum wage for textile workers in Cambodia has increased by 18% to 128 dollars. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is now calling on apparel brands to play their role by absorbing part of the increase. 

Cambodia generated 5.7 billion dollars in apparel exports in 2014. The sector includes 1,200 factories and employs 700,000 employees.

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