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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Annie Kelly

Murder, rape and abuse in Asia’s factories: the true price of fast fashion

Muthulakshmi and Kathiravel with a portrait of their daughter, Jayasre Kathiravel, a 20-year old Dalit garment worker murdered in Tamil Nadu, India, in January 2021
Muthulakshmi and Kathiravel with a portrait of their daughter, Jayasre Kathiravel, a 20-year old Dalit garment worker murdered in Tamil Nadu, India, in January 2021 Photograph: Sivaram V/The Guardian

Jeyasre Kathiravel had always dreamed of a life beyond the garment factories of Dindigul, a remote corner of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Despite the meagre wages she was earning – about £80 a month – Kathiravel knew she was lucky to have a job at Natchi Apparels, a local factory making clothes for H&M and other international brands.

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