Tagged with Rana Plaza

Remembering the tragedy of Rana Plaza

Dhaka Savar Building CollapseA year ago the world learnt of the horror of the deaths of clothing workers in Rana Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government recorded 1,100 deaths, and 2,500 people were rescued. Dangerous buildings collapsed, fire escapes were locked, there was no safety procedure and the survivors lost their jobs and faced destitution.

The cheap clothes these workers were producing were destined for export to the Western world by companies such as Primark, which has just posted
record profits. Continue reading →

UK Consumers for an Ethical High-Street

Many of us here in the UK pay little attention to where our clothes are made, who manufactures them and what sorts of conditions those workers are forced to endure. Shopping for clothes is a necessity and often a pastime, but rarely do we pause for thought and consider the impact of our habits and the practice of retailers on the millions of people worldwide employed in garment manufacturing.

This April the Rana Plaza tragedy served as a shocking awakening to the conditions in which the clothes that fill high street stores in the UK are often produced. The Rana Plaza, an eight story garment-factory in Dhaka, collapsed killing more than 1,100 people. The horrific images of the disintegrated factory and the devastating impact on human life were a terrible reminder of the risk that millions of people in the developing world face simply by going to work. Continue reading →