Through These Hands

Across major garment-producing countries, wages remain well below the cost of living.

THE NUMBERS

BDT / MONTH
MINIMUM WAGE (~$113 USD)

BDT / MONTH
ESTIMATED LIVING WAGE

12h+

SHIFTS PER DAY
OFTEN WITHOUT BREAKS

Nearly double the minimum wage is needed to simply survive.

The minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh is 12,500 BDT per month, roughly $113 USD. The estimated living wage is 23,000 BDT. Workers are paid just enough to stay dependent, never enough to get ahead.

Shifts exceeding 12 hours a day. Often without breaks.

Workers report shifts lasting well beyond legal limits, with no overtime pay and no right to refuse. The cost of cheap clothing is measured not just in wages, but in hours of a human life.

Mostly women. Often with no other choice.

The majority of garment workers are women in low-income countries where labour costs are lower and regulations are less strictly enforced. This global system allows brands to minimize costs while workers bear the burden of production.

The

CLOTHES

don't

MAKE

themselves

someone

PAYS

the

PRICE

Unsafe and Hazardous Conditions

→

WAGES BELOW LIVING STANDARD

Nearly double the minimum wage is needed to simply survive.

Shifts exceeding 12 hours a day. Often without breaks.

Mostly women. Often with no other choice.