Women at work: Labour exploitation, racialized and gendered precarity in Bangladesh’s ready-made-garment industry

HDRI is pleased to announce the publication of our latest policy brief: "Women at Work: Labour exploitation, racialized and gendered precarity in Bangladesh’s ready-made-garment industry". Authored by Laura Janini Dohmen and supervised by Siya Goyal, this critical study examines the systemic challenges faced by female workers in one of the world's largest garment manufacturing hubs.

As international discussions surrounding supply chain due diligence legislation gain momentum, how can we address the structural deficits enabling exploitation? This brief goes beyond superficial compliance, offering actionable, evidence-based policy reforms to ensure fair treatment and institutional support for marginalized workers.

Key Points from the Research:

• Widespread Exploitation: Bangladesh's United States Dollar (USD) over 30 billion ready-made-garment (RMG) industry employs four million workers, of whom up to 80% are young migrant women. These female workers face daily systemic exploitation through wage theft, gendered occupational segregation, and sexual harassment with virtually no institutional support.

• Severe Lack of Protection: Workplaces are unfit to support the safety and long-term stability of their female workers. Studies show that only 1 in 25 of audited factories have functioning anti-harassment committees. Furthermore, many begin work as early as 11 years of age and forcefully retire in their early 40s due to their incapability of meeting the physical demands of assembly-line production.

• Legal & Institutional Reform: The brief recommends strengthening domestic legal enforcement by expanding the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments’s (DIFE) authority to fine and suspend trade licences of any non-compliance factories.

• Empowering Women and Youth: Future policies must legislate mandatory anti-harassment and gender violence committees within factories, requiring a minimum of 50% of worker representation. Additionally, it advocates for repealing the clause that allows for the employment of children ages 12-14 and introducing mandatory gender quotas for supervisory and managerial positions.

  
  

Discover how comprehensive reforms can protect vulnerable workers and secure a fair, sustainable future for the global RMG industry.

Read the full policy brief below: