Economic Growth Unacceptable Justification for Worker Poverty in Bangladesh, Says UN Human Rights Expert

Economic Growth Unacceptable Justification for Worker Poverty in Bangladesh, Says UN Human Rights Expert
Workers Bangladesh, by Hasibul Hasan Shanto, via Flicker, 2018

31.05.2023.

East and South Asia team,

Global Human Rights Defense,

 

In a statement on 29 May 2023, De Schutter the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, voiced serious concerns regarding Bangladesh's justification of keeping workers in poverty to promote economic growth (UN OHCHR 29 May 2023). Special rapporteur De Schutter urged Bangladesh's Government to shift away from cheap labor dependency for a rights-focused development (UN OHCHR, 29 May 2023).

While the overall poverty rate in the country stood at 20 percent, the plains, where certain Indigenous communities resided, experienced an extremely high poverty rate of over 80 percent (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2022). Although none of the set minimum wages offered an adequate standard of living for urban residents, many of them exceeded the poverty threshold (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2022). However, recruitment agents targeted impoverished villages and urban slums to recruit unskilled laborers for lower labor costs (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2022). De Schutter highlighted that the country's economic growth has been driven largely by the ready-made garment industry, which heavily relies on low wages (BDNews, 29 May 2023). Bangladesh relies on the apparel industry, which currently accounts for 82% of the country's export revenue and employs 4 million workers (BDNews, 29 May 2023). Resultantly keeping a large part of the population dependent on low wages.

In order to create a human rights and development-focused approach, special rapporteur De Schutter recommended the government prioritize fair wages, worker education, and social protection rather than focusing on tax incentives and special economic zones to attract investors (BDNews, 29 May 2023; UN OHCHR, 29 May 2029). This aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1) on eradicating poverty, as it emphasizes the need to ensure a sufficient standard of living for all individuals and reduce inequality. By adopting a human rights and development perspective, Bangladesh can work towards achieving SDG 1 and improving the lives of its population.

 

REFERENCES

UN OHCHR. (29 May 2023). Bangladesh: Economic growth cannot justify keeping workers in poverty, says UN expert. Available at < https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/bangladesh-economic-growth-cannot-justify-keeping-workers-poverty-says-un#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20country's%20comparative%20advantage%20cannot,day%20visit%20to%20the%20country.>.

BDNews. (29 May 2023). Bangladesh's economic growth cannot justify keeping workers in poverty, says UN expert. Available at < https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/8mjkhntwkr>.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. (2022). Bangladesh 2022 Human Rights Report. Available at < https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/415610_BANGLADESH-2022-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf>.