Bangladeshi workers producing sportswear for Puma, Nike and Adidas are being physically abused, a British newspaper claimed on Sunday. Bangladeshis working in factories making clothing for the brands, all three of which sponsor the Olympic Games that begin in London on July 27, reported being beaten, verbally abused and sexually harassed, The Observer said.
"In one Puma supplier, two thirds of the workers interviewed had been beaten, slapped, pushed or had their hair pulled," the newspaper said. Many female workers in a factory supplying Adidas said they were made to remove the dupatta, or scarf, they wore to cover their breasts, added The Observer, which produced the investigation with the charity War on Want.