The Garment Worker: Thailand
Sawai's Story

Sawai's father was a construction worker in north-east Thailand. When Sawai was 13 years old, her father suddenly became ill and unable to move. He could not work, so Sawai had to start working. She could not find work near home; she had to travel far away to Bangkok. Sawai got a job in a small garment factory, where her older cousin worked.

This is Sawai's story:

My First Job

I was very unhappy about leaving home and I was afraid of going to the city, but I knew it was my only hope to continue my schooling.

The garment factory was a very small family business. It was in a house which was also the owner's home. I knew nothing about sewing, so the owner said I had to work in his house to repay him for training me. I was paid very little, about 500 baht a month. Out of that money, I had to give back to the owner 100 baht for housing and food, although the only food they gave us was cooked rice. If we wanted to eat anything with the rice, we had to buy that too. Six people worked in the factory and we all shared one room.

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GARMENT FACTORY: a place that makes clothing.

BAHT: the money in Thailand.

My Work

The room where we worked had five machines in it and the light was very poor. I worked from eight in the morning until midnight. I was lucky, my cousin often stayed up sewing until 2 am.

I had to do a lot of housework. I washed clothes and cleaned the house and the kitchen. They could ask me to do housework at any time. However, the owner didn't give me any training. When the owner was out, my cousin taught me, and I watched how the others worked. That's how I was trained, and I learned quickly.

I don't think the owner was a bad man. He didn't abuse me. He shouted at me only when I yelled at his child. Sometimes he let us watch TV. He was just stingy with money.

ABUSE (v): to treat someone in a violent way.

Someone who is STINGY does not like to spend money.

A Decision

After I had been there for two and a half months, the owner had a big order from a factory that made children's clothes. He asked me if I wanted to do a harder kind of work. I would make a little more money, but my cousin was worried. I would have to work seven days a week and stay up late, sometimes working for 48 hours without any sleep. She thought this was too hard for a child of 13. She advised me to take a job in a bigger factory, where I might be free on Sundays and have the chance to get some education.

Working at a Larger Factory

It was a medium-sized factory. It had 20 machines and 20 workers. Most of the other workers were between 15 and 17 years old. If you looked at the building from the outside, you wouldn't think it was a factory. The windows were high up and had bars on them. We were not allowed to open the windows. It was very closed, nobody could see inside.

We worked six days a week. The factory was registered with the government, so it had to meet government regulations. However, the owners had no kindness. They were very stingy with money too. Our pay was very low and they never raised our salary. They didn't care.

To BE REGISTERED: to be on an official list.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS: government rules that say how something must be done.

The Child Labour Club

Several organisations in Bangkok provide activities for working children, but the activities are usually during the day when I couldn't attend. Then I heard about the Child Labour Club. Their activities are at the weekend, so I started attending their classes on Sundays. They also provide shelter and healthcare for children with problems.

I'm 16 now. In January, I quit my job so that I can work part-time for the Child Labour Club and reach out to other children like myself. The Club pays me 3,000 baht a month and they give me a free room that I share with two other girls.