Female RMG factory worker says fear chokes their voice as study finds 80% face sexual abuse

A study has found that 80 percent women workers face sexual harassment at readymade garment factories in Bangladesh while one of them says they do not speak out fearing job loss.

Rehana Begum, a worker of an apparel factory at Mirpur-13 in Dhaka, described an incident of her sexual harassment by a male worker at a seminar on implementation of High Court directives and ILO Convention 190 to prevent violence and sexual abuse at workplaces.

“I did not get the justice I deserved,” Rehana said.

“I will not name my factory. I have family and children. I do not want to lose my job,” she added.

Despite being subjected to sexual harassment and torture, many female factory workers across the country do not seek redress over incidents for fear of being kicked out from job, Sirajul Islam Rony, the president of Bangladesh National Garments Workers Employees League, pointed out.

Saima Khatun, an associate professor of anthropology at Jahangirnagar University, highlighted the importance of a separate law to stop sexual harassment in the keynote paper.

Citing a survey conducted last year, she said 80 percent of the female workers are harassed sexually at garment factories.

Referencing another survey carried out by Action Aid in seven cities of Bangladesh in 2015, she said 84 percent of women and girls face abusive comments and behaviour.

The victims will be able to gather the courage and complain about sexual harassment if there was a separate law to deal with the issue, she said, noting that such offences are punished under different laws.

Shirin Akhter MP, general secretary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, said, “Patriarchy everywhere gives birth to something undemocratic. It breeds a mentality that promotes the notion that men can do as they please.”

“Harassment and torture of women will continue until we stop this practice,” she added.