The Dark Side Of Fast Fashion: Examining The Exploitation Of Garment Workers In Bangladesh
Downloads
There have been several attempts to decrease the usage of fast fashion, but no one has been able to stop its development. We are aware that fast fashion is a business model that imitates the most recent catwalk trends, has evolved into high fashion, is produced in large quantities, and is priced affordably. Fast fashion has come under fire from a wide range of people due to the fact that no worker receives the minimum wage, yet products must be mass-produced. In addition to examining the legal and regulatory framework for protecting Bangladesh garment industry workers to fulfill their rights as laborers and how these rights are applied, this article looks at the shadowy side of fast fashion in Bangladesh. This paper elaborates on Bangladesh's experience in managing the situation of a garment industry building that collapsed in 2013, killing hundreds of people inside, using a normative analysis-oriented approach. This study demonstrates that Bangladesh's legal and regulatory framework for worker protection has yet to explicitly state what rights workers are entitled to. Another factor is that Bangladesh does not yet have a robust and consistent practice of human rights-based instruments considered in court and that law enforcement does not fully grasp how to execute these rights. At the same time, it is crucial to improve law enforcement interpretation for worker-focused solutions, giving their rights, and promoting human rights practices in Bangladesh.
Book
Brooks, Andrew, Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion and Second-Hand Clothes, United Kingdom: Zed Books ltd, 2019.
Journal
Aftab, M. A., Yuanjian, Q., Kabir, N., & Barua, Z. (2018). Super responsive supply chain: The case of Spanish fast fashion retailer Inditex-Zara. International Journal of Business and Management, 13(5), 212-227.
Ahmed, N. J. U., Nasima, M., & Alam, N. (2013). Socio-Business Consideration of Garment Workers in Bangladesh: A Statistical Review. ABC Journal of Advanced Research, 2(2), 83-92.
Al-Amin, M., Alam, S., & Hossain, S. (2020). Analysis of the present condition of garment workers’ rights and its protection under domestic and international legal framework: Bangladesh perspective. British Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2(6), 101-112.
Alamgir, F., & Banerjee, S. B. (2019). Contested compliance regimes in global production networks: Insights from the Bangladesh garment industry. Human Relations, 72(2), 272-297.
Alonso, P., Moscoso, S., & Salgado, J. F. (2017). Structured behavioral interview as a legal guarantee for ensuring equal employment opportunities for women: A meta-analysis. The European journal of psychology applied to legal context, 9(1), 15-23.
Bair, J., Anner, M., & Blasi, J. (2020). The political economy of private and public regulation in post-Rana Plaza Bangladesh. ILR Review, 73(4), 969-994.
Bhadra, S., Ali, M. M., Alam, M. M., Rehena, M., & Uddin, M. S. (2022). The Rights of Women Employees under Bangladesh Labor Act: The Case of Ready-Made Garment Industry in Bangladesh. BUFT Journal of Business & Economics (BJBE), 3(1), 1-14.
Bin Shen, “Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain: Lessons from H&Mâ€, Sustainability, vol. 6, no. 9 (2014), pp. 6236-6249.
Brydges, T., & Hanlon, M. (2020). Garment worker rights and the fashion industry’s response to COVID-19. Dialogues in Human Geography, 10(2), 195-198.
Deshingkar, P., Abrar, C. R., Sultana, M. T., Haque, K. N. H., & Reza, M. S. (2019). Producing ideal Bangladeshi migrants for precarious construction work in Qatar. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45(14), 2723-2738.
Haque, S., Al Rafi, D. A., Zaman, N., Salman, M., Al Noman, M. A., Hoque, M. N., ... & Hossain, A. (2023). Nutritional status of under-five aged children of ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. Plos one, 18(4), 284-325.
Heise, L., Greene, M. E., Opper, N., Stavropoulou, M., Harper, C., Nascimento, M., Zewdie, D., & Gupta, G. R. (2019). Gender Inequality and Restrictive Gender Norms: Framing the Challenges to Health. The Lancet, 393(10189), 2440-2454.
Mahmud, S., Mahmud, R., & Jahan, M. N. (2018). Health issues of female garment workers: evidence from Bangladesh. Journal of Population and Social Studies [JPSS], 26(3), 181-194.
Mahmud, S., Vinay, R.D., Rayhan, M, Nusrat, J. “Health issues of female garment workers: evidence from Bangladesh, Journal of Population and Social Studies, Vol. 26, No. 3 (2018), pp. 181-194.
Maurer, M., & Morshed, M. M. (2022). Promoting the recognition of prior learning in the context of development cooperation: The case of Bangladesh. International Journal of Educational Development, 91, 102592.
Minkman, E. (2023). Resolving impasses in policy translation: Shall we adjust the idea or the process?. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 41(2), 333-350.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam, M. A. (2019). Labour Laws in the Garment Sector of Bangladesh: a Worker’s View. Yuridika, 34(3), 12.
Nguyen, H. T., Le, D. M. D., Ho, T. T. M., & Nguyen, P. M. (2021). Enhancing sustainability in the contemporary model of CSR: a case of fast fashion industry in developing countries. Social responsibility journal, 17(4), 578-591.
Prentice, R., De Neve, G., Mezzadri, A., & Ruwanpura, K. N. (2018). Health and safety in garment workers’ lives: Setting a new research agenda. Geoforum, 88, 157-160.
Rahman, H., & Shehab, S. (2023). Media representations of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the formation of public opinion in Bangladesh. The Journal of International Communication, 1-19.
Rese, A., Schlee, T., & Baier, D. (2019). The need for services and technologies in physical fast fashion stores: Generation Y’s opinion. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(15-16), 1437-1459.
Rob Van Drimmelen, 1998. “Faith in a global economy: A primer for Christiansâ€, HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. Vol. 56 No. 1.
Sadiq, K., & Tsourapas, G. (2021). The postcolonial migration state. European Journal of International Relations, 27(3), 884-912.
Shivakoti, R., Henderson, S., & Withers, M. (2021). The migration ban policy cycle: a comparative analysis of restrictions on the emigration of women domestic workers. Comparative Migration Studies, 9, 1-18.
Syed, R. (2020). Mechanisms implementing minimum wage policies and compliance with the ILO’s provisions: the case of Bangladesh’s Garment Global Supply Chain. E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies, 9(2), 57-81.
Syed, R. F. (2020). Theoretical debate on minimum wage policy: A review landscape of garment manufacturing industry in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 211-224.
Thomas, S., Richter, M., Lestari, W., Prabawaningtyas, S., Anggoro, Y., & Kuntoadji, I. (2018). Transdisciplinary research methods in community energy development and governance in Indonesia: Insights for sustainability science. Energy research & social science, 45, 184-194.
Van Oort, M. (2019). The emotional labor of surveillance: Digital control in fast fashion retail. Critical Sociology, 45(7-8), 1167-1179.
Zikrul Alam Mandol, “Violation of Labor Rights In Bangladesh: Improvement of Bangladesh Laborâ€, International Journal of Advanced Research, vol. 5, no. 12 (2017), pp. 2017-2029.
Internet
Audrey Stanton, "What Does Fast Fashion Mean, Anyway?,†The Good Trade, 2022, https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion, Accessed May 15 2023.
Brittany Sierra, “The Psychology of Fast Fashion: Why Conversation About Fast Fashion Evokes Such Strong Emotions In Usâ€, Sustainable Fashion Forum, https://www.thesustainablefashionforum.com/pages/the-psychology-of-fast-fashion-exploring-the-complex-emotions-fast-fashion-evokes-in-consumers#:~:text=Affordability%20is%20a%20major%20factor,products%20at%20a%20lower%20price, Accessed on June 24 2023.
Deccan Herald, “ Sweathops: Textile Industry’s dark sideâ€, April 21 2023, https://www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/sweatshops-textile-industrys-dark-side-1211664.html, Accessed on June 30 2023.
H&M Group, “Conscious Action Sustainability Reports 2013â€, https://hmgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Conscious-Actions-Sustainability-Report-2013_en.pdf, Accessed on June 30 2023.
H&M Group, “H&M Global Framework Agreementâ€, https://hmgroup.com/nyheter/hm-global-framework-agreement-2/, Accessed on June 30 2023.
International Labour Organization, “Improving working conditions in the ready made garment industry: Progress and achievements (September 2016), https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_240343/lang--en/index.htm, Accessed June 30 2023.
Manufy, “These Are The Top 5 Countries To Produce Clothing In Europeâ€, https://www.manufy.com/blog/these-are-the-top-5-countries-to-produce-clothing-in-europe/, Accessed on 5 Jully 2023.
Natalie Schwartz, “Labor watchdog backs calls to increase minimum wage for Bangladeshi garment workersâ€, April 17 2023, https://www.fashiondive.com/news/bangladesh-garment-workers-minimum-wage/647767/, Accessed on June 30 2023.
Sabita Banerji, Katherine Earley, and Peter McAllister, “Ethical Trading Initiativeâ€, December 1 2018, https://www.ethicaltrade.org/sites/default/files/shared_resources/ETI-HM%20FLWR%20Review_0.pdf, Accessed on June 30 2023.
The Guardian, “Why are wages so low for garment workers in Bangladesh?â€, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/21/low-wages-garment-workers-bangladesh-analysis, Accessed on 5 Jully 2023.
Vikas Bajaj, “Fatal Fire in Bangladesh Highlights the Dangers Facing Garment Workersâ€, November 25, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/world/asia/bangladesh-fire-kills-more-than-100-and-injures-many.html, Accessed on June 30 2023.
VOA Indonesia, “Bangladesh Didesak Naikkan Upah Minimum Pekerja Tekstilâ€, https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/bangladesh-didesak-naikkan-upah-minimum-pekerja-tekstil/1501952.html, Accessed on 24 June 2023.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors confirm the transfer of all copyrights of the manuscripts to the Board Editors of Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan upon its acceptance for publication and that the Board Editors of Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan have the right to publish, republish, transmit, and distribute them in the JHP journal or other media.
- Manuscripts published by Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution -NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Every submitted manuscript should be accompanied by a "Copyright Notice" and "Ethical Statement".
