Spinning staff Tamil Nadu 2016. Photo: © FEMNET
According to the government, not a single legally required anti-harassment committee is registered in Tamil Nadu's spinning mills.
A request from our partner organization READ to the government of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu has revealed that not a single one of the 3,000 spinning mills located in the state has registered an anti-harassment committee. In particular, large companies are legally obliged to form committees to investigate complaints of sexual harassment and abuse.
However, the vast majority do not, so women who become victims of sexual harassment in the Indian apparel industry do not have a point of contact to turn to.
"The government's response shocked us," said R. Karuppusamy of READ. Young girls work in this industry and there is enough documented evidence of abuse and exploitation in the spinning mills. But there are no complaints committees for them to turn to.”
Textile companies are depriving themselves of their legal duty to investigate allegations of abuse by their workers, with sexual assault and rape commonplace in South India's garment factories. As in this Report of the women's organizations Sisters for Change and Munnade 2016 One in seven workers in the workplace is forced to engage in sexual activity or intercourse.
These shocking facts and solutions are presented in a recent Workshop report (PDF file) of the India Committee of the Netherlands and Mondial FNV discussed.
FEMNET and READ continue to campaign against sexual harassment in the workplace and for the establishment of complaint committees for affected workers.
