Bangladesh stands as the world’s second-largest apparel exporter, with the ready-made garment (RMG) sector driving approximately 84% of the country’s exports and contributing around 16% to its GDP. The industry employs over four million workers — predominantly women — across thousands of factories, supplying fast fashion brands globally with low-cost clothing produced at rapid speeds. While this has generated significant economic growth and employment opportunities, it has also perpetuated serious labor exploitation, including the persistent use of child labor in subcontracted and informal tiers of the supply chain.
A 2025 Snapshot of Exploitation
A comprehensive study released in early 2025 by the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab and GoodWeave International, based on interviews with nearly 2,000 workers (including over 1,900 adults and 121 minors) across 20 industrial clusters in Dhaka and Chattogram, reveals that child labor remains embedded in RMG export supply chains. Researchers found one minor (under 18) for every 15 adult RMG workers surveyed. All 100% of the interviewed minors were illegally employed as child laborers, with 99% working more than the legal maximum of five hours per day. About 20% labored in factories producing exclusively for export markets, while 80% were in subcontracted or mixed-contract facilities.
These children, often aged 12–17, face pressure to work excessive hours, exposure to workplace hazards, disrupted schooling, low pay, and frequent abuse. The study notes that risks — including child labor, underpayment, safety issues, and threats — are markedly higher in subcontracted factories, where oversight from international buyers and government inspectors is limited compared to direct export-oriented facilities.
Broader national statistics paint a troubling picture. Bangladesh has roughly 1.78 million children engaged in child labor, of whom about 1.07 million perform hazardous work. Recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2025) data shows child labor affecting 9.2% of children aged 5–17 — an increase from prior years — while the country remains off track to meet global targets for elimination by 2025. Although hazardous child labor has declined modestly, overall prevalence has stagnated or risen slightly, with many children in informal sectors that feed into garment production.
Widespread Issues Beyond Child Labor
Exploitation extends to adult workers as well. The 2025 Rights Lab/GoodWeave report found that 32% of adult RMG workers are paid below the national minimum wage (set at around 12,500 BDT per month following the 2023 revision, equivalent to roughly $113). Seven percent live below the international poverty line. Nearly one-third of factory workers report shifts exceeding 10 hours per day, six days a week — violating legal limits and serving as an indicator of forced labor. Women, who form the majority of the workforce, earn on average 2,000 BDT (about $18) less per month than men. Fifty-six percent of surveyed factory workers have experienced threats or abuse, with rates reaching 90% among abused minors and disproportionately affecting females.
Home-based work, which supplies larger exporting factories, offers some flexibility and perceived safety from direct abuse but remains precarious with unstable income and limited protections.
Roots of the Problem and the Role of Fast Fashion
Extreme poverty, weak social safety nets, and limited enforcement in the informal economy drive families to send children to work. Bangladesh’s labor laws prohibit employment under age 14 and hazardous work under 18, and the country has ratified key ILO conventions. However, complex, opaque supply chains — characterized by rapid subcontracting to meet fast fashion’s demands for cheap, trendy garments — obscure accountability. International brands’ purchasing practices, including late payments, order cancellations, and price pressures, often squeeze suppliers and incentivize shortcuts in lower tiers.
Undercover investigations and exposés over the years, including older footage of children as young as 12 or 13 stitching clothes for Western brands, have repeatedly highlighted these realities. While not every garment labeled “Made in Bangladesh” involves exploitation, the model’s reliance on ultra-low costs sustains the risks.
Progress Since Rana Plaza — and Remaining Gaps
The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, which killed over 1,100 workers, catalyzed reforms. The subsequent Accord on Fire and Building Safety (later transitioning to the RMG Sustainability Council) led to widespread inspections, remediation of safety issues, and improved standards in many formal factories. Union numbers have grown, Bangladesh boasts more LEED-certified green factories than any other country, and the industry association BGMEA maintains a policy of zero tolerance for child labor in member export factories, supported by audits and compliance programs.
Yet enforcement remains inconsistent in subcontracted and informal units. Government inspectors are limited, and brand due diligence often fails to map deeper supply chain layers. The COVID-19 pandemic caused setbacks, and recent economic and political turbulence has added pressure.
Toward Meaningful Change
The 2025 report offers clear recommendations: stronger brand purchasing practices that support living wages; full mapping and oversight of subcontracted and home-based work; enhanced government enforcement paired with social protection programs; remediation for affected children, including access to education; and greater transparency across the supply chain.
Consumer awareness, sustained advocacy, and accountability from brands, suppliers, and authorities are essential. The RMG sector has lifted many families from deeper poverty and empowered women through employment, but this cannot justify lost childhoods, health risks, or abuse.
Videos and reports titled “MADE IN BANGLADESH” continue to expose the human cost behind fast fashion. Addressing it requires moving beyond audits and headlines to systemic reforms that prioritize dignity, fair pay, and protection for all workers — especially the youngest and most vulnerable. Real progress demands shared responsibility across the global garment industry.
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