There have been mass faintings in Cambodia’s garment factories

A revolution needs to last longer than a day.

The second Fashion Revolution Day was a huge success this past April, trending worldwide just like its first year. The movement, motivated by the Rana Plaza disaster and the deaths of 1133 people, garnered a massive response with people taking a closer look at the garment industry’s unethical treatment of workers.

However, while #whomademyclothes Instagram pics and tweets slowly slip down our feeds, inhumane working conditions in the international textile industry are sticking.

On Tuesday, there was a mass fainting across two different factories in Cambodia, with 200 female workers ending up hospitalised. The fainting was due to unsafe fumes in the factory, which workers claim had been reported to authorities to no avail. This isn’t the first incident either, with 900 fainting cases reported across the industry in last year alone.

Yet, the Cambodian government is trying hard to sweep it under the unethically-created rug, with the National Social Security Fund blaming the workers. Yep, that’s right. Apparently it wasn’t the dangerous, harmful fumes seeping into the factory, but a coincidence that 200 workers fainted. Perhaps from not getting their five fruit and veg a day.

A miracle solution might not be on the cards, but there are still people with the power to change these working conditions. Us. 

FRD has shown us that people do care, and while worldwide recognition is a great start, a revolution needs to last longer than a day. To start, we recommend taking a look at this app and educating yourself on The True Cost of your purchasing decisions.