Speakers at a discussion said on Sunday despite economic empowerment through formal employment, female workers, especially the workers in the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector face significant risks of violence, including sexual harassment, both at workplaces and during commuting.
The RMG sector has been a driving force behind Bangladesh's economic growth, accounting for 83 per cent of export earning and employs 2.59 million workers, 57 per cent of them women.
The event titled 'Learning Together: A Gender Justice Journey', organised by the Shojag Coalition under the project 'Promoting Gender Justice for Women Workers in the Ready-Made Garment Sector' in association with the European Union, was held at BRAC INN, Dhaka.
Speakers opined that safe and discrimination-free workplace is essential for the protection of women workers of garment factories. It is also crucial to strengthen systems for receiving complaints on various issues, including sexual harassment. Additionally, transportation needs to be provided for safe commuting of women workers, and wages should be ensured during maternity leave, in accordance with labour laws.
Programme Manager of Ethical Trading Limited Taposh Barua said, "In the RMG sector, there is a tendency to address grievances verbally. Factories often fail to document complaints, as they believe it could negatively affect their audit outcomes."
Anindita Ghosh, Senior Programme Officer, Solidarity Centre, pointed out that the lack of training for women in automation and the absence of childcare support are major reasons of declining women workers in the RMG factories, according to a press release.
Mohammad Maruf Hosain, Deputy Manager, ActionAid, said, "The number of women in mid-level management positions in the RMG industry is very low. Most women are employed as sewing machine operators. Moreover, once a female worker in the RMG sector reaches the age of 35, she is often dismissed."
Sunzida Sultana, Executive Director, Kormojibi Nari, said: "The labour law (2006) was amended and include the 2009 High Court Verdict (HCV) on sexual harassment in the workplace. Gender Platform Bangladesh has drafted and submitted a law on the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) in workplaces. Additionally, the ILO has incorporated GBV into its Occupational Safety and Health guidelines, creating new opportunities to address GBV in workplaces."
Laila Jasmin Banu, Programme Manager, Governance and Rights, European Commission, stated: "The European Union in Bangladesh will continue its commitment to promote gender justice. Through projects funded by the EU, valuable lessons have been learned, and best practices will be applied to future EU projects."
