Modern slavery in the garment and textile supply chain
A multidisciplinary and comparative study into prevalence, impact and response in India and Bangladesh
Slavery is not a thing of the past. It is now, here and everywhere. Modern slavery is widespread and pervasive. Today, between 21 and 36 million, 26% of which are children under the age of 18 are modern slaves!
Women and girls are disproportionately affected, accounting for 28.7 million or 71% of the overall total. Almost 50% of modern slaves are in India, with China and Pakistan holding second and third place. This phenomenon is poorly understood. For example, as many as 78% of slaves worldwide are victims of forced labour in industries that are not related to sex at all.
The textile industry is at the centre of this practice. Complex supply chains are de facto supporting modern slavery. Consumer awareness and new legislation are driving change for human rights in supply chains and textile and garment supply chains in particular. The UK 2015 Anti-slavery Act was great progress yet limited to big businesses.
UoP researchers have worked as part of the impact evaluation team for DFID’s Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) and have conducted rapid research assessing the impact of Covid across different sectors including the readymade garment sector.
The ongoing research has investigated the negative impact of the pandemic on garment workers in India, who have been affected by issues such as the cancellation of orders from big retailers, lack of work and pay, poor working conditions and safety at work. Findings from this project have been presented at the following UoP events:
- Research Futures webinar – “Sick Fashion” with Sebastian Devaraj (Fedina) and Prof. Leila Choukroune
- Public panel – “GLOBAL FASHION AND COVID-19: FROM RESILIENCE TO RESISTANCE” – Fashion Revolution week
Team Members
Prof. Leila Choukroune, Prof. Tamsin Bradley, Dr. Matthew Anderson, Dr Hamid Foroughi, Dr Elaine Igoe, Mrs Sue Noble, and Dr Simon Stewart
External members
Mr Sebastian Devaraj – Executive Trustee of FEDINA, Bangalore
Dr Suti Sahariah – independent researcher and consultant, New Delhi