They made America's clothing's and are getting punished for it

Bangladeshi Garment Workers at an RMG factory.

Already living from hand to mouth, millions of garment workers across Asia fear for their jobs as a deadline to strike a trade deal with the US - or face punishing tariffs - looms closer.

On 9 July, following a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries to negotiate deals, the US president notified several countries in the region of new levies set to begin on 1 August. The new rates, while lower than those proposed in April, have done little to allay anxieties.

Among nations that received letters from Donald Trump were apparel hubs like Cambodia and Sri Lanka, which are heavily dependent on the US as an export market. The letters said that the two nations would face tariffs of 36% and 30% respectively.

Nike, Levi's and Lululemon are among big-name US brands that have the bulk of their clothing made in these countries.

"Can you imagine what will happen if [we] lose our jobs? I'm so worried, especially for my kids. They need food," says Nao Soklin, who works in a garment factory in southeastern Cambodia.

Ms Soklin and her husband Kok Taok make a living sewing bags for 10 hours a day. Together, they earn about $570 a month – barely enough to cover rent and provide for their two young sons and aged parents.

"[I want to] send a message to President Trump, to tell him to please lift the tariff on Cambodia... We need our jobs to support our families," she told the BBC.

Cambodia, which has become a popular alternative to Chinese retailers because of its ready supply of low-wage labour, exported more than $3bn worth of apparel to the US last year, according to the Asean Statistics Division. The sector, which employs more than 900,000 people, makes up more than a tenth of the country's overall exports.

For Sri Lanka, exports to the US helped the garment industry – which directly employs some 350,000 people – earn $1.9bn last year, making it the country's third-largest foreign exchange earner.

"If [30%] is the end number, Sri Lanka is in trouble because our competitors, such as Vietnam, have received lower tariffs," Yohan Lawrence, secretary general of Sri Lanka's Joint Apparel Association Forum, told the Reuters news agency. - BBC News