Cambodia Factory Group Denounces Report By Human Rights Watch

Phnom Penh, Cambodia — The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia hit back on Tuesday against allegations of human rights abuses in the country’s factories by Human Rights Watch, calling it “a leap of logic that defies the reality.” On Friday, New York-based rights organization HRW released a report claiming that labor rights abuses were rampant in the garment sector, which generates more than $5 billion a year. In interviews with some 340 people, including 270 garment workers, HRW found that workers toiled under excessive overtime hours and were denied sick leave, factories misused short-term contracts that led to worker insecurity, union members and pregnant women faced discrimination, and some factories were outsourcing production to subcontractors, which functioned without oversight. In a statement issued Tuesday, GMAC — which represents Cambodia’s exporting factories — said they were “disappointed” by HRW’s report, which they called “subjective.” “[T]he research team interviewed only 270 workers – equivalent to only 0.038 percent of the 700,000 workers in our industry,” the statement said. “It would be rash and irresponsible to suggest that, on the basis of this sampling, the Human Rights Watch report presents an accurate picture of our industry. “To suggest that workers’ rights are being abused in a systemic

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