Slavery on the high street: Forced labour in the manufacture of garments for international brands

This report was published in June 2012 by Anti-Slavery International, a human rights organisation based in the United Kingdom. It highlights the “slavery-like practices” prevailing within the garment production industry in India that manufactures for international markets. The two primary areas that the report focuses on are the spinning mills in the Tirupur (or Tiruppur) district of Tamil Nadu, and the garment finishing industry in Delhi. Field research for this report was conducted in 2009 and 2010. Current workers, former workers, and their families were interviewed about their experiences of working in the garment industry. The report identifies what has come to be known as the ‘Sumangali’ system of forced labour which employs women largely between the age of 13 and 18 years. It employs women under exploitative conditions and very low wages, and with the promise of a lump sum payment at the end of a three-year contract. “The girls are confined to the mills, sleeping in hostels, during their contract period and are rarely, if ever, allowed out during that time”, the report states...