Lured by the promise of $316 a month to work on road construction, Arjunan traveled last year from India to Malaysia, where his employer confiscated his passport and decided to pay him just $36. When Arjunan protested, his boss phoned India and told Arjunan’s wife that he would cut off her husband’s leg and hand. So she pawned jewelry to buy back the confiscated passport. But even after she paid out nearly $1,400, Arjunan’s boss still won’t give it back. Arjunan’s ordeal, documented by the Solidarity Center, is typical in Malaysia, which may be upgraded by the State Department for its efforts to fight human trafficking.

Regarding compensation to victims of workplace accidents, says Solidarity Center Country Dave Welsh, “In every situation I’ve been involved in, and I’ve been involved in a lot, it’s like pulling teeth making the government fulfill its obligation.”

Across Asia, millions of children toil for long hours, earning barely enough to live on, while sewing garments for fashion brands in the West. “Brands chase jurisdictions where there is extreme poverty, the rule of law is weak and it is easy for them to skirt labor laws,” says David Welsh of the Solidarity Center.