2024-08-27
DELHI / BERLIN - India’s garment industry, valued at around 100 billion USD, employs 51 million people formally and another 68 million informally. As a key producer for Western nations and the second-largest textile exporter globally, the industry relies heavily on women, who make up over 70% of the workforce. However, women in this sector face significant harassment and exploitation in the workplace.
During the investigation in southern and northern India, where the majority of garment factories are located, the team documented testimonies of over 30 Dalit women garment workers, who belong to one of India's most discriminated communities and continue to face gender-based violent harassment (GBVH), caste-based discrimination, wage theft, forced termination, social and economic disparity, and other forms of labour and human rights violations. Surprisingly, the women workers are unaware that they work for well-known German brands like C&A, Esprit, S.Oliver, Hugo Boss, Adidas, and Puma, as well as other European companies like Decathlon, H&M, Benetton, Lindex, and Just Brands.
📸Conceptualised by Pari Saikia, Photograph by Karan Dhiman.
Mentor
Supported
€18,450 allocated on 17/03/2023ID
MSU/2023/054Grant
ONLINE
- Made In India, Sold in Europe: The Harsh Reality of India's Garment Industry, Newsreel Asia, 27/08/2024
- Made in India: How Existing Laws Meant to Help Garment Workers Fall Short for Women, The Wire, 24/09/2024
COUNTRIES
- India
- Germany
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