Worker Voice in the Apparel Sector in Bangladesh

Project Duration	March 2020- May 2021
Funding organization	GFEMS- Global Fund to End Modern Slavery Development Organization : ELEVATE and PHULKI
Project Goal	Labor violations and forced labor is widespread in the less regulated informal RMG factories that are not subject to government or industry labor compliance programs. Phulki will be working through the following operational strategies- This project aims to reduce the prevalence of forced labor in informal RMG factories in Bangladesh by taking a bottom-up approach that is geo-targeted to specific factory clusters in Narayanganj and Keraniganj. This project aims to incr
Project Purpose	ELEVATE will work with Phulki on project implementation in Bangladesh. By leveraging today’s increasing mobile penetration and smart phone adoption, ELEVATE will build on a strategic approach that deploys anonymous, mobile-based surveys to thousands of workers in a cost-effective and scalable model. By partnering with Phulki which has long-standing relationships with workers and managers in lower tier and informal factories, as well as in the communities where these workers live, this project aims to reach at least 15k workers and capture 80k new data points on potential exploitative working conditions from direct worker feedback. Victims and potential victims identified during this process will be referred to specialized organizations for support and information on labor rights, skilling programs. ELEVATE has a strong presence in Bangladesh with about 30 staff. ELEVATE advises international brands and retailers in the RMG sector on social compliance risk and leading supplier development projects since 2003.
Project Output	Engaged local partners with trust in target communities to assist with survey deployment Noted few numbers of non-verified brands with subcontracted product in target communities (bottom-up through surveys/interviews) Through Deploy worker surveys noted few non- verified forced labor After verification will disseminate educational messages to workers, later on, will refer victims and potential victims to BRAC and other relevant partners for support such as skilling and services After verification, data will be share with vendors, brands, and retailers, with recommendations on remediation & mitigation strategies
Project working areas	Narayanganj and Keraniganj, Dhaka Bangladesh
Beneficiary/Stakeholder	The target beneficiaries are – Young, uneducated, and unskilled workers, particularly in the factory clusters of Narayanganj and Keranigong, that have migrated from more rural districts to escape poverty
Short description	Narayanganj and Keraniganj. Known as two main apparel hubs in Dhaka have more than 6,000 garment factories of various sizes and production capacity. Among these, almost 50 percent of informal factories operate with 11 – 20 workers who are often forced to work six days per week from dawn till after dusk for a minimum wage, and came from rural villages and have no means to afford a place to live, so they end up working, sleeping and eating inside the factories under precarious and unsafe conditions. In some cases, families are deceived by brokers and factory owners. Through this project, ELEVATE aims to increase transparency and business action in the RMG sector in Bangladesh by deploying Laborlink’s award-winning worker surveys to collect, analyse, and share forced labor risk data. While many workers in the informal sector remain “hidden” today, this project seeks to contribute to the limited information on this formerly invisible group and secure commitments to enforce labour standards and end modern slavery.
Major Achievements	Noted few non-verified child labors and forced labor.