Catherwood LibraryILR School

The World Cup has brought attention to many global labor issues, including the poor work conditions and pay at the South Asian garment factories producing apparel for the sporting event. The majority of Western companies outsource their production to the Global South where labor is cheaper in order to lower business costs. However, garment factory workers have been experiencing extremely low wages since before the pandemic, and their socioeconomic struggles have only worsened over time as inflation has risen and the currency has weakened in countries like Myanmar. As a result, there has been recent criticism of companies, like Adidas, that outsource their production due to the many reports of widespread violations of human and labor rights in these factories.