
"We do not receive the minimum salary set by the law. If we take leave they cut our salary, if we are sick they cut our salary, they cut our salaries even when a needle breaks. It's very hard to even survive "
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What really is happeningTransnational corporations send their orders to brokers in Hong Kong or other trade centers. From here they are redirected to subcontractors in Cambodia, as well as Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and anywhere else where it's possible to find the only crucial resource: the labor of poor people - especially women. Abusive labor practices are common in the garment industry. The minimum legal wage of $45 a month is often not enforced. Compulsory overtime is the norm. Some factories employ apprentices at low salaries, and dismiss them regularly. Other factories keep workers as apprentices, on low salaries, indefinitely. |
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"Our houses are dirty, there is no hygiene, there is garbage everywhere. When it rains our homes are flooded. The house owner is like a boss: if we do not receive our salary in time, we have to borrow the money to pay the rent - and then pay it back with interest." |
"Some villagers hate us, they say we have come to Phnom Penh to have boyfriends and have sex. People think that we go out with boys all the time." |