NEW YORK – Brands which source from Sri Lanka, along with the country's government and factory owners, should do more to protect garment workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Human Rights Watch NGO.
The influential organisation is concerned that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered garment factories to remain open during a current strict lockdown imposed to contain a third wave of the virus.
Human Rights Watch's comments come after the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and local worker rights organisations made similar calls after at least six garment workers died and hundreds fell ill.
