Gender violence and vulnerabilities at work: A study on garment workers in Savar, Dhaka

Abstract

The garment industry of Bangladesh has become the key exporter and a major source of foreign currency for the last 25 years. It is one of the highest contributory sectors of our economy. However, it is a matter of great regret that the workers of the RMG industry are deprived of their minimum necessities and rights rather they are facing gender violence and vulnerabilities both at the workplace and home. This study focuses on the violence and vulnerabilities faced by the garment workers. This study through a survey and some case studies shows that the RMG workers are surviving with poor socio-economic condition. They are living in such an environment where approximately 4.8 people live in a room. Almost 9 to 13 people use a toilet on an average. There are cases where they do not have access to a stove and cook food using other people’s stoves in exchange of monthly payment. The study shows they are facing violence inside the family, on the way, and at the workplace. This violence includes sexual harassment, psychological and mental stress and physical violence. This study shows that while female workers are facing more psychological and sexual violence, the males face more physical and psychological violence. Verbal abuse and abusive behavior from the superiors at the workplace are gendered and very commonly found. Violence of the workers’ human rights is frequent in this sector. The study reports some factories still lock the workers from morning till night which increase the possibilities of greater loss of lives in case of accidents. These workers are also vulnerable due to the informal nature of job, lack of facilities, fire accident, injuries and health problems like headache, back pain, eye problems. The survey reveals that they have long working hours, mandatory overtime, less payment for the overtime, fear of losing job, no facilities of labor unions, no festival allowance, lack of child care facilities and so on which indicates their vulnerabilities. Though they are vulnerable at work and living place, my study shows that most of the workers are satisfied with their working environment. Nonetheless, they are aware that rest of the society has a negative attitude towards them. In RMG industries there is a gendered division of labor and female workers are less likely to get managerial posts than the males. Female are in worst situation and also are facing more violence than the males. Female get less payment, lower post, have no time for their own, experience sexual harassment and verbal abuse at workplace and also on the way. At home they are the victims of Family violence. No male respondents of the study had to face sexual violence at work or family violence. In spite of such difficulties it has also been seen that women have higher aspiration to be permanent in their job or for better future than the males. It is the reason behind the quick emergence of RMG sector and feminization of labor force in this sector.