Jan Christian Niebank Book order

The transnational garment industry has the potential to be an engine for socio-economic development in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides ample employment opportunities, particularly for women, enabling – at least in theory – their economic empowerment. However, there is a persistent governance gap in the garment sector, resulting in serious human rights impacts, which chiefly affect women, who make up the majority of garment workers both in the formal and informal sector. This poor human rights record hinders sustainable development. This analysis by the German Institute for Human Rights seeks answers to the question of what contributes to and perpetuates the governance gaps in the global garment sector and what needs to be done to close them.

As the German energy sector has close ties with the Columbian mining sector, human rights issues in Colombia's mining regions need to be seen in a transnational context. This translates into diverse options for action and shared responsibilities on both ends of the coal supply chain with respect to the human rights impacts. As the constellation of actors involved is complex, it is not always obvious who bears precisely what sort of responsibility for what. Moreover, this complex constellation is itself embedded in a transnational economic structure. This allows gaps in human rights protection to open. This analysis reveals that new opportunities to take action are necessary. Transnational cooperation can help closing gaps in protection and provide more transparency.