Where we work

Sub-saharan Africa

Export garment production in Africa has expanded during the past two decades due, in large part, to trade agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The WRC’s work in the region is focused on Lesotho and Ethiopia, both of which are key hubs for export garment manufacturing.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Lesotho’s Garment Industry

Lesotho, a small, landlocked country located completely within the borders of South Africa, has been a significant producer of denim and cotton knitwear. A WRC investigation in 2019 documented pervasive gender-based violence and harassment at a major denim manufacturer in Lesotho. The WRC’s engagement with brands concerning these abuses led to landmark agreements signed by leading apparel brands, worker representatives, and factory owners. These agreements not only remedied the documented violations but established a comprehensive program to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace.

The agreements created an independent grievance mechanism for workers to report violations, a toll-free number for workers to learn about the program and file a complaint, an anti-GBVH education program for factory employees, and an independent monitoring body to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreements, enforced through brand order reductions if the manufacturer fails to remedy violations. The agreements include a robust definition of gender-based violence and harassment, adapted from the newly enacted ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment.

The WRC has played a central role in the design and implementation of the Lesotho agreements and the resulting Anti-GBVH Program, which has, since its inception, resulted in extensive remediation of violations. Thousands of workers have attended the educational workshops and now report lasting changes in the culture of Lesotho’s garment industry.

Challenging Exploitation and Securing Remedies for Ethiopian Workers

Garment workers in Ethiopia produce a variety of garments for major international apparel brands, while facing harsh working conditions and receiving the lowest prevailing wages in any major garment exporting country in the world. The Ethiopian government has not adopted a legal minimum wage for these workers, some of whom report to the WRC that they are paid as little as $14 per month for a 48-hour workweek, an hourly wage of less than 10 cents per hour.

Factories retaliate against workers who speak about violations, and the government does not enforce compliance with those labor laws that do exist. As a result of serious human rights violations in Ethiopia, the United States terminated the country’s eligibility for trade preferences under AGOA in 2022.

In the face of this harsh reality, the WRC has been successful in assisting courageous Ethiopian garment workers to achieve remediation of a range of violations, including repayment of stolen wages, compliance with legal limits on overtime, ending abuse by supervisors, and securing improvements to factory health and safety conditions.