April 6, 2020 7:50AM ET

COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Human Rights Crisis, Too, Labor Advocates Say

Fair Wear Foundation urges fashion brands to conduct business responsibly and treat factories and supply chain workers with fairness. — Thousands of readymade garment (RMG) factory workers wearing protective masks started heading back to Dhaka from northern and southern districts to save their jobs ignoring risks to their lives and a potential coronavirus outbreak. The government has shutdown educational institutions, cut off mass transports and urged people to stay indoors to contain the spread of the virus. But its efforts will face a tough challenge as thousands start returning to the capital to attend work.

CREDIT: Sultan Mahmud Mukut/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

The coronavirus pandemic is not just a planet-spanning health catastrophe, labor advocates say. It’s also a human rights crisis in the making. On Tuesday, the nonprofit Fair Wear Foundation, rolled out a “COVID-19 dossier” on its website to help garment industry stakeholders navigate what has rapidly devolved into a worst-case scenario with incessant spates of…

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