Asia Floor Wage Alliance has stated that the global garment supply chain, rather than empowering women in the Global South, has worsened inequality, with brands exploiting conditions that fuel gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in garment factories.

In Bangladesh, despite ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), political upheaval and impunity have led to a disturbing rise in physical and sexual violence, hindering women’s ability to participate in democratic decision-making, AFWA said.

In a statement issued on International Women’s Day, March 8, the Asia Floor Wage Alliance highlighted how brands suppress wages, keeping workers in poverty while profits benefit shareholders in the Global North.

AFWA said that Brands continued to profit from patriarchal social norms that exclude women workers from decision-making, limiting their ability to participate in the democratic processes that affect their lives.

The ability for workers, particularly women, to collectivise and voice their concerns is essential for organising, defending rights and influencing decisions in both workplaces and communities, it said.

However, widespread attacks on Freedom of Association across Asia are undermining gender equality and weakening the foundation of democracy, the alliance claimed.

Despite increased women’s workforce participation, the sector continued to perpetuate a significant gender pay gap, with women enduring low-wage, insecure jobs and undervalued unpaid labor, it said.

The alliance called for a fair redistribution of profits and the implementation of living wages to achieve true economic empowerment for women.

While the growth of the garment sector has increased women’s participation in the workforce, Asia still faces the highest gender pay gap, the statement said.

It mentioned that although the industry promised formal, dignified employment, it has instead provided low-wage, insecure jobs.

Moreover, women’s labor, whether low-paid or unpaid, including domestic and care work, remains undervalued and underpaid.

According to the statement, fashion brands claim to support gender equality while profiting from conditions that subject women workers to various forms of gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH), including physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm.

Brands’ pressure on suppliers to meet high production targets at low costs creates a stressful environment where bullying and abuse are used to control the predominantly female workforce.

By suppressing wages, brands further deepen economic insecurity, leaving women with little choice but to endure such violence, it said.

AFWA claimed that Brands exacerbate economic insecurity among women garment workers by suppressing wages, forcing women to endure violence and harsh working conditions.

In Cambodia, piece-rate workers are denied essential overtime pay, pushing them to work long hours to meet rising production targets while earning poverty wages.

In Indonesia, factory closures due to brands’ sourcing decisions have resulted in illegal mass dismissals, leaving over 10,000 garment workers, many of them women, jobless.

As the primary breadwinners in their households, these women are hit hardest, with brands worsening their financial insecurity and preventing them from supporting their families.

Additionally, workers face physical harm due to grueling working conditions.

In India, a proposed law to extend workdays to 10 hours would disproportionately impact women in the labor-intensive garment sector, while in Pakistan, women workers already endure shifts of up to 20 hours.

These long hours of repetitive tasks cause severe physical harm, including leg pain, ulcers, miscarriages, and other health issues.

On International Women’s Day, the AFWA honoured the resilience, leadership, and collective power of women garment workers and their unions across Asia.

Rooted in garment workers’ struggles, March 8th marked a day of working-class women rising against oppression, celebrating progress while confronting the ongoing fight for gender justice.

‘This International Women’s Day, we reaffirm: Women Workers Will Not Wait. Gender Justice Now,’ AFWA said.