CENTRAL, CATU, and C.CAWDU document the extent to which Freedom of Association (FOA) has been contravened across Cambodia’s garment, footwear, and travel goods factories, undermining the country’s human rights commitments, violating the country’s constitution and labor law, and weakening the ability of international brands to undertake robust due diligence within their supply chains.

The report evaluates Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) and whether their current processes appropriately assess and adequately report on employer-imposed barriers to freedom of association. As part of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Better Work Program, one of BFC’s core activities is to monitor export apparel factories’ compliance against international labor standards to inform brands and buyers of labor conditions in each factory. BFC currently assesses working conditions in 703 factories across Cambodia, employing approximately 651,000 workers.

After the report published, about 70 union federations and unions protested against CENTRAL, which they alleged restricted union representatives’ freedom of association.