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She made the urgent call on her verified Instagram page in a video message on Tuesday and drew attention of all major brands to #Payup now. Nabela Noor also urged her fans and followers to support her demand and share the information.
“The exploitation of Bangladeshi garment workers must stop NOW. Major brands have yet to #PAYUP leaving over 4.1 million Bangladeshi garment workers at the brink of starvation and facing the threat of homelessness,” she said.
Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of readymade garment products after China and most of the employees in the RMG sector are women.
Earlier on June 26, Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group, organised a webinar as part of Cosmos Dialogue, titled “Impact of COVID-19 on Bangladesh: Prognosis for Recovery".
Connecting the dialogue from home, Rubana Huq, the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said that it was almost like a nightmare and for them it was a critical journey when they saw RMG export orders worth over $ 3.15 billion were cancelled or held up.
Huq also said that they have negotiated almost 48 percent of the cancelled orders to be reinstated but the payment terms are still vague.
Also read: Kylie Jenner ‘refusing to pay’ Bangladeshi workers
Nabela Noor released a video message on Tuesday in this regard, which was seen by about one million of her fans and followers.
She urged all of her fans to learn more about the fast fashion industry, the exploitation of garment workers and the brands who are responsible for this exploitation for their own profit and the ability to boast about their “low prices”.
Also read: Coronavirus: BGMEA reports $3.15 billion order cancellation
“Low prices, huge steals, and big bargains are at the expense of garment workers’ livelihoods,” she said.
Nabela Noor also showed a list of brands who are involved and tagged those to let people know of their malpractices of not paying the Bangladeshi garment workers.
‘Making powerful change’
Making clear her position and intention of not destroying the companies and brands, Noor made a move to raise awareness and demanded a real change.
Also read: BGMEA requests its members not to sack workers in May
Noor urged her fans to tag - @kimkardashian, @kyliejenner, @kourtneykarshian, @kendalljenner, @khloekardashian + Kanye West (on Twitter) to bring this to their attention under their posts.
Raising voice for Bangladeshi workers who desperately need to be paid what they are rightfully owed, Noor said, “Kanye’s partnership with @Gap is disappointing given that Gap has yet to #PayUp.”
She also urged her followers to tag and bring attention to the following brands as well who are all involved in this crisis- @gap @jcpenney @walmart @primark @forever21 @peacocks_fashion @bestseller.com @levis @rossdressforless @ca @sears @topshop @burton_menswear @kohls @urbanoutfitters @freepeople @anthropologie @childrensplace @liandfung @mothercareuk.
Also read: Budget: BGMEA wants source tax unchanged for 5 years
To learn more about the #PayUp movement, the fast fashion industry and for helpful resources and updates, she urged people to visit @whomade.yourclothes, @remakeourworld and @cleanclothescampaign.
Nabela Noor also confirmed that the information and statistics she shared are sourced from their incredible resources and diligent work in fighting the exploitation in the fashion industry.
“I believe that together we can make real, powerful change. It starts with raising awareness,” she said.
Also read: Celebrating beauty and self-love with Nabela Noor