Many clothing brands have still not joined the International Accord on factory safety in Pakistan

21-04-2023

Anandi Sweere

Team Pakistan Intern, 

Global Human Rights Defence

Human Rights Watch has released a report that shows that many clothing brands have still not signed up to the International Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry in Bangladesh and Pakistan (HRW, 2023). This Accord took effect in 2021 in Bangladesh and replaced the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh which was created right after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 (International Accord, 2021). In December 2022 the International Accord was extended to also be applicable to garment and textile factories in Pakistan (HRW, 2023). The International Accord is a legally binding agreement that is made between clothing brands and worker’s unions to inspect and remedy the building safety of garment and textile factories. Independent inspections are conducted of the facilities, clothing brands are obliged to support in remedying potential flaws and factory workers have access to complaints mechanisms to raise potential safety concerns (International Accord, 2021).

The Rana Plaza disaster showed the dangerous and appalling conditions of many garment factories in the world. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1.100 factory workers and injuring thousands more (Posner, 2023). In the aftermath of this disaster, many clothing brands pledged to change the way things were done and improve the safety and working conditions of garment workers in factories. However, a decade later, many brands are yet to show commitment by, for example, joining the International Accord in Bangladesh and Pakistan (HRW, 2023). HRW showed that as of April 11, only 45 brands were part of the Accord in Pakistan, showing that many clothing brands have yet to join (HRW, 2023). 

Sources:

Human Rights Watch. (2023, April 17). Decade After Rana Plaza, Safety Flaws Persist Many Clothing Brands Missing from Accords in Bangladesh, Pakistan. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/17/decade-after-rana-plaza-safety-flaws-persist.

International Accord. (2021, August 25). Press Release: Agreement On New, Expanded Accord. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://internationalaccord.org/agreement-on-new-expanded-bangladesh-international-accord/

Posner, M. (2023, April 19). A Decade After The Rana Plaza Disaster, Global Clothing Companies Owe More To Bangladeshi Garment Workers. Forbes. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelposner/2023/04/19/a-decade-after-the-rana-plaza-disaster-global-clothing-companies-owe-more-to-bangladeshi-garment-workers/?sh=16b23a4361f4