Many of the world’s leading garment sourcing hubs are ranked among the worst places in the world to work in. Bangladesh, the Philippines, Turkey and Egypt are ranked among the top ten worst countries in the world to work in. All are sizeable garment sourcing locations, Turkey is Europe's largest exporter of garments and Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporting country in the world.

In many countries, fundamental democratic rights are undermined by corporate interests. Attacks on union members have been documented in 59 countries. Bangladesh and Cambodia have seen an escalation of anti-union violence in recent years, despite talk of labor reform from these countries.

While the legislation may spell out certain rights workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices. There has been a decline in labor standards over 12 months, with the number of countries experiencing physical violence and threats against workers having risen by ten per cent in just one year.

Denying workers protection under labor laws creates a hidden workforce, where countries and companies refuse to take responsibility, especially for migrant workers, domestic workers and those on short term contracts.

The International Trade Union Confederation has been collecting data on violations of workers’ rights to trade union membership and collective bargaining around the world for more than 30 years.