ABSTRACT

In 2014, the apparel sector employed approximately 60 to 75 million people worldwide. It is a significant, expanding sector driven by powerful retailers and marketers. Women account for at least three-quarters of all garment workers worldwide, making the garment industry a significant source of formal employment for women. Workplace harassment against both men and women is a widespread problem that affects all industries and occupations. It is especially prevalent in the garment industry, where many women work in lower-paying, lower-power positions. Bangladesh’s Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry plays a major role in the global apparel industry, ranking as the world’s second-largest supplier of ready-made garments. The industry employs over 4 million people, with 80 percent of them being women. Harassment is prevalent in the RMG sector for all workers, with female workers specifically encountering sexual harassment due to their gender. The article will concentrate on the underlying causes of harassment and evaluate the adequacy of labour and national laws, exploring gaps in both legislation and their implementation. It will also provide recommendations for amending existing laws and enacting new legislation to enhance the safety and security of female workers in factory environments.

KEYWORDS

harassment * sexual harassment * Bangladesh RMG * female workers

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ali, RN – Begum, Flora – Salehin, Mohammad – Farid, K.S. (2008):  Livelihood Pattern of Rural Women Garment Workers at Dhaka City. In: Journal of the Bangladesh Agricultural University. 6(452-2016-35506).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v6i2.4846.

Bangladesh Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Labour Act 2019, Section 189.

Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (BLA), Section 215.

Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (BLA), Section 332. (Available at: https://compliancebangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/bangladesh-labour-act-2006-english.pdf).

Bangladesh Labour Rule 2015 (amendment 2022). (Available at:  https://compliancebangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bangladesh-Labour-Rules-Amendment-2022-Shared-by-Compliance-Bangladesh-.com_.pdf).

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) vs. Government of Bangladesh and Others (2009). Writ Petition (No. 5916/2008). (Available at:  http://www.supremecourt.gov.bd/resources/documents/276907_Writ_Petition_5916_08.pdf).

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) vs. Government of Bangladesh. Writ Petition no 8769 of 2010. (Available at: https://puc.ac.bd/Content/Downloads/Sexual%20harassment%20given%20by%20the%20High%20Court%20Division.pdf).

Begum, Flora – Ali, RN – Hossain, M.A. – Shahid, Sonia B. (2010): Harassment of women garment workers in Bangladesh. In: Journal of the Bangladesh Agricultural University. 8(452-2016-35685).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v8i2.7940.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) report: Workplace Environment for Women: Issues of Harassment and Need for Interventions, 2004. (Available at:  https://www.cpd.org.bd/pub_attach/DR-65.pdf).

Dhaka Tribune: Workplace sexual harassment remains unreported, ignored, 2018.. (Available at: https://archive.dhakatribune.com/opinion/special/2018/05/21/workplace-sexual-harassment-remains-unreported-ignored).

Fair Wear Foundation (2018): Breaking the Silence: The FWF Violence and Harassment Prevention Programme. Amsterdam: Fair Wear Foundation. RMG sector. In: Social Science Review. 22(1).

Fair Wear Foundation:  Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the Global Garment Supply Chain. Contribution to the standard setting discussions at the 107th International Labour Conference, 2018.

Fair Wear Foundation: Bangladesh Country Study 2018, 2018. (Available at:  https://api.fairwear.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Fair-Wear-country-study-Bangladesh-2018-new.pdf).

Fair Wear Foundation: Standing Firm Against Factory Floor Harassment: preventing violence against women garment workers in Bangladesh and India, 2013. (Available at: http://www.fairwear.org/ul/cms/fckuploaded/documents/FaiWearFoundationpublications_reports/StandingFirmReportFAIR WEAR FOUNDATION2013.pdf). 

Habib (2016, April). Care Oikko (Unity)  Project  Baseline  Study  Report. https://www.care.at/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/OIKKO-Baseline.

Halim, Sadeka – Kabir, Ariful Haq (2005): Globalisation, gender and labour market: Some evidence from RMG sector. In: Social Science Review. 22(1).

Hossein, Jakir – Ahmed, Mostafiz – Akhter, Afroza (2021): Right Implementations Status of Women Workers in Bangladesh Readymade Garments Industries. In: Kormojibi Nari watch report 2021. (Available at: https://www.karmojibinari.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Watch-Report-on-Rights-Implementation-Status-of-Women-Workers-in-Bangladeshs-Ready-Made-Garment-Industries.pdf).

Hossein, Jakir – Ahmed, Mostafiz (2019): Work and Working Condition of Women Employed in Ready-Made Garment Industry of Bangladesh. In: Kormojibi Nari watch report 2019. (Available at: https://www.karmojibinari.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Work-and-Working-Condition-of-Women-Employed-in-Ready_-Revised.pdf). 

Hossen, Belayet – Osmani, Noor Mohammad (2018): Empowering Women in Bangladesh: A Study on the Problems of Working Women in Garments Industries. In: European Journal of Social Sciences. 57(3).

Human Rights Watch: Ending violence and harassment at work – The Case for Global Standards. (Available at:  https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/news_attachments/2018_hrw_ilo_brochure.pdf). 

ILO and UN Women: Understanding the Gender Composition and Experience of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Workers in Bangladesh, 2020. (Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_754669.pdf).

ILO: Convention 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the Workplace. (Available at:  https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C190). 

ILO: Improving Working Conditions in the Ready-Made Garment Sector: Bangladesh Baseline Study (January – May 2017). (Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_735614.pdf). 

Karmojibinari. org: Fact sheet on monitoring work and working condition of women employed in ready-made garment industries of Bangladesh. (Available at: https://www.karmojibinari.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/RMG-FactSheet2019.pdf).

Kashyap, Aruna (2017): Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Garment Industry. In: Human Rights Watch. December 11, 2017. (Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/11/tackling-sexual-harassment-garment-industry).

Mahmud, Simeen – Kabeer, Naila (2003): Compliance versus accountability: Struggles for dignity and daily bread in the Bangladesh garment industry. In: The Bangladesh Development Studies. Vol. XXIX/2003. pp. 21-46.

Manusher Jonno Foundation Report (2018): Sexual Harassment against female workers at Workplace: Strategy to Combat and Way Forward. (Available at:  http://www.manusherjonno.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Study-Report-on-Sexual-Harassment-Update-24-09-19_printed-version.pdf).   

Morris, Jo – Richard, Sophie (2019): Violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, in garment factories and supply chains. In: UKaid & Work and Opportunities for Women. (Available at:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/876230/Query-22-Sexual-Harassment-Garment-Factories.pdf).  

Mustafa, Afsana – Islam, M.Serajul – Islam, Saiful – Khatun, Mufhaja (2016): Impact of RMG sector on livelihood change of women employees of Bangladesh. In: Social and Economic Geography. 2(1).

New Age: Labour rules amended trade unions, sexual harassment prevention get more focus. In: New Age.  September 6 2022. (Available at: https://www.newagebd.net/article/180397/labour-rules-amended).

Siddiqi, Dina (2003): The sexual harassment of industrial workers: strategies for intervention in the workplace and beyond. In: CPD-UNFPA publication series. No. 26.

Taslima, Yasmin (2017): Sexual Violence in Bangladesh: Addressing Gaps in the Legal Framework. In: Dhaka University Law Journal. Vol. 28/2017.

Taslima, Yasmin (2018): Sexual Harassment at Educational Institutions and Workplaces: A Study on the Implementation Status of the 2009 Supreme Court Guideline. ActionAid, Bangladesh.

The Daily Star, Abrar, Barrister M. Syeed (2022): Amendment to the Labour Rules 2015: Safer Workplace for Women. September 16, 2022.  (Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/amendment-the-labour-rules-2015-safer-workplace-women-3120696).

The Daily Star, Maheen, Sultan (2018): Sexual harassment of RMG workers. December 14, 2018. (Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/investigate-sexual-violence-against-rmg-workers-3402956).

Taslima, Yasmin (2020): Overview of Laws, Policies and Practices on Gender-based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work in Bangladesh. International Labour Organization. (Available at https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_757149.pdf?cv=1). 

Taslima, Yasmin (2021): Laws against Sexual Harassment: Analysing the legal framework of Bangladesh. In: Dhaka University Law Journal. 32(2).  (Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/dkauvylw32&div=27&id=&page=).

The Bangladesh Penal Code 1860, Sections 354, 375, 376, 507.

Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (WCRPA) (amended 2003), Section 9k.

Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (WCRPA), Section 10.