Dhaka: Maternity leave in Bangladesh is seeing an expansion, yet garment workers continue to face significant struggles regarding childcare. Despite international brands and factories highlighting advancements like maternity policies and on-site daycare facilities, the reality for many working mothers is challenging, as they juggle long working hours with limited childcare support. According to Global Voices, the traditional family-dependent care system in Bangladesh is under strain as work and migration patterns evolve. This issue is particularly pronounced for low-income workers with unpredictable hours, who often rely on informal care networks. Morsheda, a garment worker from Gazipur, shares her personal experience of returning to work after four months of maternity leave, leaving her five-month-old child with her mother-in-law due to the lack of adequate childcare facilities at her workplace. Morsheda's story highlights the inadequacy of existing facilities, such as breastfeeding rooms that are not easi ly accessible during shifts. She recalls the challenges of meeting production targets while managing her childcare needs. Her situation is not unique, as many workers are forced to depend on a mix of family members and paid caregivers, who may not always be available for necessary tasks like bringing infants for breastfeeding. Mina, another garment worker from Savar, experienced similar difficulties. She initially relied on her mother for childcare but had to switch to paid caregivers and factory daycare, which proved to be unreliable and costly. The burden eventually fell on her older son, affecting his education. Both women work in factories where the workforce is predominantly female, yet daycare facilities are limited and often lack the necessary staffing and hygiene standards. Bangladesh's garment industry, a major contributor to the national economy with over USD 36 billion in exports, predominantly employs women. While garment work has increased women's access to paid employment, it has not alleviate d the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work they shoulder. National labor laws mandate establishments with a significant number of female workers to provide childcare facilities, but practical challenges persist. The childcare challenges faced by garment workers in Bangladesh mirror those in other countries with significant garment industries, such as Vietnam and Cambodia. Despite legal provisions for maternity leave and childcare facilities, access remains a critical issue. In these countries, as in Bangladesh, families often bear the childcare responsibilities that enable women to participate in the workforce. The ILO and UNICEF's Mothers@Work initiative in Bangladesh underscores the need for comprehensive support that extends beyond maternity leave, emphasizing the functionality of childcare facilities and flexible working arrangements. While there have been improvements, the persistent challenges faced by workers like Morsheda and Mina indicate the need for ongoing attention to the practical imple mentation of childcare solutions in the garment industry.