By Alex Assoune founder, owner, and Chief Executive Officer of Panaprium, the global digitally-native sustainable fashion brand.
The fast fashion industry is still breaking the law when it comes to labor rights. Human rights violations and sweatshop-like working conditions affect millions of workers in textile and garment manufactures. Child labor and modern slavery cases are still being reported, particularly in Asian developing countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and The Philippines. Many factory workers are paid below the legal minimum wage, forced to work long hours in unsafe environments, don't have access to healthcare or paid leaves. Workers won't resist for fear of getting fired since they need their job to nourish their families. Many young women work in garments factories, being sexually abused, and forced to abort their pregnancy. Many facts about fast fashion are very shocking, and not enough people are aware of how awful this business model is. The fast fashion industry is very damaging to people and local communities. To help you make mindful purchasing decisions as an informed consumer, here is the truth about workers' conditions that the fast fashion industry doesn't want you to know.
Challenges of change facing the designers of tomorrow
· Thousands of young children are part of the labor force, working in slave-like conditions
· It is not unusual for workers to work as many as 16 hours per day, every day of the week. Seldom paid for overtime or not at all.
· Buildings are often unsafe, with little ventilation. Injuries and disease are frequent
· Verbal and physical abuse are common. When they do not meet their daily quota, they
are denied necessary breaks
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