Youtuber Nabela for Bangladeshi RMG Workers

Bangladeshi-American Youtube star Nabela Noor has urged the major brands to #Payup as millions of Bangladeshi garment workers are left starving during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as a result of work order cancellation or suspension and delay in shipment.

She made the urgent call on her verified Instagram page in a video message on Tuesday and drew the attention of all major brands to #Payup now. Nabela Noor also urged her fans and followers to support her demand and share the information.

''The exploitation of Bangladeshi garment workers must stop NOW. Major brands have yet to #PAYUP leaving over 4.1 million Bangladeshi garment workers at the brink of starvation and facing the threat of homelessness,'' she said. ⁣

Bangladesh is the second-largest exporter of readymade garment products after China and most of the employees in the RMG sector are women.

Earlier on June 26, Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cosmos Group, organized a webinar as part of Cosmos Dialogue, titled ''Impact of COVID-19 on Bangladesh: Prognosis for Recovery".

Connecting the dialogue from home, Rubana Huq, the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said that it was almost like a nightmare and for them, it was a critical journey when they saw RMG export orders worth over $ 3.15 billion were canceled or held up.

Huq also said that they have negotiated almost 48 percent of the canceled orders to be reinstated but the payment terms are still vague.

Nabela Noor released a video message on Tuesday in this regard, which was seen by about one million of her fans and followers.

She urged all of her fans to learn more about the fast fashion industry, the exploitation of garment workers and the brands who are responsible for this exploitation for their own profit and the ability to boast about their ''low prices''.

''Low prices, huge steals, and big bargains are at the expense of garment workers' livelihoods,'' she said.

Nabela Noor also showed a list of brands who are involved and tagged those to let people know of their malpractices of not paying the Bangladeshi garment workers.

'Making powerful change'

Making clear her position and intention of not destroying the companies and brands, Noor made a move to raise awareness and demanded a real change.

Noor urged her fans to tag - @kimkardashian, @kyliejenner, @kourtneykarshian, @kendalljenner, @khloekardashian + Kanye West (on Twitter) to bring this to their attention under their posts.

Raising voice for Bangladeshi workers who desperately need to be paid what they are rightfully owed, Noor said, “Kanye’s partnership with @Gap is disappointing given that Gap has yet to #PayUp.”

She also urged her followers to tag and bring attention to the following brands as well who are all involved in this crisis- @gap @jcpenney @walmart @primark @forever21 @peacocks_fashion @bestseller.com @levis @rossdressforless @ca @sears @topshop @burton_menswear @kohls @urbanoutfitters @freepeople @anthropologie @childrensplace @liandfung @mothercareuk.

To learn more about the #PayUp movement, the fast fashion industry and helpful resources and updates, she urged people to visit @whomade.yourclothes, @remakeourworld and @cleanclothescampaign. ⁣

Nabela Noor also confirmed that the information and statistics she shared are sourced from their incredible resources and diligent work in fighting the exploitation in the fashion industry.

''I believe that together we can make real, powerful change. It starts with raising awareness,'' she said.