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FEMNET Newsletter No. 2 - July 2012
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1. Solidarity Fund: Visit to Munnade in India, developments in BangladeshAt the end of April 2012, FEMNET CEO Dr. Gisela Burckhardt visited the Munnade project in India. She spoke to the activists of the local initiative of textile workers who are trying to build a local trade union against all odds. FEMNET has been raising funds for the project as part of the Solidarity Fund since the end of 2011. 2. FairSchnitt First project phase completed: Study presented, the project continues!At the end of May, the first phase of the FEMNET project 'FairSchnitt - Studying for a socially responsible fashion industry' expired. The central concern of the project is to expand the curricula of the universities with information on the living conditions and rights of seamstresses in supplier companies, codes of conduct of companies, social and environmental standards in the value chain, etc. The project was funded by the Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein Westfalen for 12 months. The FairSchnitt project consultant Steffi Holz presented a study with the analysis of the teaching content of six universities examined in North Rhine-Westphalia. As a conclusion, it can be stated that in all fields of study (clothing technology and management, fashion design and pedagogy) sustainability elements are included, but are discussed in different depths and often not sufficiently. It depends very much on the respective lecturers how intensively the questions of social and environmental standards are dealt with. In order to pursue the project objectives, FEMNET e.V. has submitted several funding applications, which were fortunately approved. From August 2012, Cornelia Korte will continue the work of Steffi Holz as the new project manager. We would like to thank Steffi Holz for their dedication and commitment! Project office set up 3. Save the date: Fair-Schnitt-Conference on 18th and 19th October 2012FEMNET e.V. will hold a conference on ethics and transparency in the clothing industry on 18 and 19 October 2012 at the Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen. The event takes place as part of our current project "FairSchnitt - Studying for a socially just fashion industry" and is supported by funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). With the conference, FEMNET e.V. addresses students, lecturers and professors of fashion-related education and study programs. The aim is to sensitize participants to social standards, to anchor the topics of social and sustainability in training in the long term and to promote networking among universities. 4. Sumangali: Young women and girls exploitedThe list of exploitative systems in the textile industry is extended by one method: Sumangali, which translates to 'the happy bride', is a principle reminiscent of slavery in which: Girls and young women - often from the caste of the Dalits, the 'untouchables' are sold for three years and more to textile factories in southern India. At the end of the contract period, there is a premium, often only a few hundred euros, which is intended to serve as a bride's price. If a young girl does not keep up with the contract period with inhumane working conditions, everything was in vain and she gets almost nothing.
5. Appeal and protest mail campaign to Minister of Labour von der Leyen and AldiGerman business associations and the German government are currently trying to prevent the EU Commission from adopting a transparency directive requiring companies to report regularly on the effects of their activities on the environment and people throughout the entire supply chain. Through its blockade stance, the federal government covers the payment of starvation wages, exploitation and ill-treatment in the workplace, suppression of trade unions in the suppliers of German companies. The Ministry of Labour is in charge of blocking the EU Transparency Directive. Together with the Clean Clothes Campaign, FEMNET is organising a signature campaign addressed to Ms von der Leyen and, on behalf of other companies, to Aldi, a private company that does not communicate anything about its activities and refuses any transparency. Participate in the signature campaign now... 6. Theatrical Workshop in Berlin SuccessfulGovernment instead of blocking. Reveal instead of blankets! Transparency now! This was the motto of the theatre workshop, which FEMNET organized as part of the campaign for clean clothing on 15/16 June in Berlin and which ended successfully with a street theatre performance. The participants dealt with the topic "Federal government slows down transparency obligations for companies" and practiced creative forms of action. Watch the short video on the FEMNET homepage! 7. CCC talks with Lidl and KiKIn March and June, the Clean Clothes Campaign, represented among others by FEMNET CEO Gisela Burckhardt, held talks with LIDL management and the KiK-CSR department. Issued by the CCC (FEMNET and CIR) in January 2012, the topics of the talks were the investigation into labour rights violations in Bangladesh "Im Visier Discounter". Lidl commissioned GIZ to conduct trainings in Bangladesh and China for the management of suppliers. KiK carries out a qualification program with 20 suppliers in Bangladesh. Both trainings have so far not led to any significant improvements in working conditions. Read the detailed reports of the two talks on the FEMNET homepage! 8. Protests against Fairtrade Award for LidlOn 20 March 2012, Transfair e.V. awarded the "Fairtrade Award". Transfair awards the prize annually "for outstanding commitment to fair trade". In the trade category, Lidl has the 2. Place reached. FEMNET e.V. criticizes this award as well as some groups and companies that are active in fair trade. This is because: Lidl has only a small part of fair products in its range that it adorns itself with, but the large part of the range of goods is not produced under fair conditions. Such an award ultimately serves the purpose of 'beautiful colouring', as our Video clip "Beautiful! Dyer" so vividly depicted. The WDR broadcast MARKT interviewed Dr. Gisela Burckhardt on this topic. 9th Conference on Corporate Responsibility of CorAFEMNET has been a member of the CorA network since March 2012. In this network, civil society organisations have joined forces on the topic of "binding corporate responsibility". It calls for binding rules from the government to hold companies accountable for the impact of their actions on people and the environment and to oblige them to respect human rights and international social and environmental standards. On April 29, a one-day symposium took place in Berlin, where the current sustainability reports of companies were examined by a FEMNET representative. Read the detailed conference report.... 10. UN Environment Conference in Rio and WomenThe Women's Major Group (WMG), which represented 200 women's civil society organizations around the world at the Rio+20 Summit, is very disappointed and seriously outraged by the results of the "official" deliberations at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20. Read the full final statement... 11. Post from... Baku, AzerbaijanClub member Dr. Melanie Krebs has been living in Baku for several months, which is still remembered by many as the venue of the European Song Contest in May 2012. She regularly writes us her observations of this society in a state of upheaval and upheaval. Now read her theses on the 'headscarf' as a protest symbol. 12. Appointment information20.09.2012: Eco-friendly clothing - where are they? Brands and shops from the Cologne/Bonn area present themselves as part of the Fair Week Bonn 26.9.2012: Film evening with lecture and discussion on the topic: China is on the move. Women as losers of the growth model? at the Intercultural Week Bonn 02./03.11.2012 Conference in Paderborn: 40 Years of Feminist Debates 21.11.2012: International Conference on Violence against Women 13. Interesting publicationsGender Index (SIGI) 2012 Women in National Parliament Guidance for counselling centres "Work exploitation and trafficking in human beings - giving workers their rights" 14. DisclaimerFEMNET e.V. Board of Directors: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Ines Holthaus, Anna Hoff File number VR 27200 B at the District Court of Berlin-Charlottenburg |
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