The Workers

THEIR STORIES

“I want to be independent. I want my own identity. Also, I want society to give freedom to women, how they want to dress or their opinions.”

Quality control

Household of one

23 years old

Fatema

Fatema has worked in the garment industry in Bangladesh for three years. Note: The quotes in the posts are not from the workers in the photos, but from different workers.

"We parents are doing hard work so that our children get well educated and get a respectful job in the future. I believe that here people work after getting good work nowhere else. I do not wish my children that destination."

Supervisor

Household of four

34 years old

Nasrin

Nasrin has worked in the garment industry in Bangladesh for 18 years. Note: The quotes in the posts are not from the workers in the photos, but from different workers.

"I have learned many things from the Garment Worker Diaries project. I can keep track of my monthly transactions, that is, how much I have spent, how much I have earned and how much I have saved in a month."

Machine operator

Household of three

39 years old

Jesmin

Jesmin has worked in the garment industry in Bangladesh for 17 years. Note: The quotes in the posts are not from the workers in the photos, but from different workers.

MEET THE WORKERS

MEET SHILA: A GARMENT WORKER DIARIES INTERVIEW

See all the interviews in our YouTube channel

WORKERS' VOICES

Shila is one of the more than 900 female respondents who participated in our multi-year garment workers diaries study in Bangladesh (over 75% of respondents were women, roughly representative of workers in the garment sector in Bangladesh as a whole). In this interview, Shila shares a bit of her life story, her daily routine, her past struggles and her hopes for the future, not just for herself but also for her son.

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