Voices

Behind the Seams

Understanding labour conditions in the Argentine garment sector through worker experiences

Content also available in: español

This publication features direct testimonies of workers in the garment sector in Argentina, many of whom are migrants and live in vulnerable situations. Providing quotes and direct perspectives from workers on various human and labor rights topics, the purpose of this report is to provide highly relevant information for the prevention of potential situations of labor exploitation and problems related to decent work gaps in Argentina.

This publication presents an analysis focused on decent work deficits and indicators of possible risk of forced labor based on interviews with 30 people with diverse trajectories in the garment sector and is part of the Evidence to Action (EvA) project: Increasing the impact of research to mobilize efforts against forced labor in the garment sector of Madagascar and Argentina, funded by the US Department of Labor.

The project, led by the International Labor Organization (ILO), in collaboration with NORC and Verité, aims to develop robust and replicable methods of collecting and analysing data on the vulnerability involved in forced labor, as a foundation for the development of evidence-based interventions, using as a framework the recommendations of the 20th Conference of Labor Statisticians of 2018 (ILO 2018). At the same time, the results of this research can enhance the development of focused interventions in the sector and contribute to the construction of better analysis and public policy frameworks.

This publication is also available in Spanish.