Bangladesh’s Garment Workers

In Bangladesh, the garment industry drives the country’s economic growth, contributing to an impressive 6 percent growth rate for nearly a decade. Bangladesh is now one of the world’s leading clothing exporters, second only to China, and the garment industry employs 3.6 million workers out of a total population of over 150 million. Most of the nation’s 4,500 factories are concentrated around the capital, Dhaka, and attract thousands of rural residents in search of jobs and a better life for their families. In this slideshow, award-winning photographer Conor Ashleigh and In Asia editor Alma Freeman visit a community and school for garment workers’ children in sprawling Ashulia, one of the country’s largest garment manufacturing hubs.

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