Against violence to seamstresses

"Workers are silenced by violence or threats. We are subject to sexual harassment by superiors in the factories. If we resist, we are threatened or dismissed. That is why only few dare to talk about their experiences."
- Employment lawyer Kalpona Akter

Gender-based violence at the workplace

A large part of our fashion is produced in Bangladesh and India - mainly by women. For many of them, gender-based violence in the form of abuse and beatings, sexual harassment, insults and threats is a bitter everyday occurrence. Factory-level grievance bodies and legally binding agreements between companies, suppliers and trade unions can prevent this form of violence.

Forms of gender-based violence:
  • physical Mistreatment such as violent assault, assault, murder
  • sexualized Violence such as rape, sexual harassment, insults
  • psychic Violence such as bullying, stalking, coercion, psychological abuse, intimidation
  • structural Violence such as economic/financial exploitation, denial of access to education

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread human rights violations worldwide. In countries such as India and Bangladesh, the situation is dramatic: 76% of textile workers surveyed in studies (PDF) stated that they had already been confronted with gender-based violence in the workplace, for example in the form of harassment by the mostly male superior.

Traditional patriarchal structures promote unequal power relations between men and women. Gender-based violence is not only a means to pass on the increasing pressure on production, but also takes place outside factories as an expression of power differences. Many women find little support in this environment to defend themselves and change their situation. For fear of losing their job after a complaint, they remain silent. There are hardly any trade unions and current laws - if any - are not complied with.

A special form of structural gender-based violence is the Sumangali system,  which was used in spinning mills of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Our goal

Women work in a safe workplace - free from harassment, ill-treatment, coercion or financial exploitation.

This is what we want to achieve:

  1. Gender-based violence is socially recognized as a problem
  2. Awareness-raising and campaign work increase the pressure to act.
  3. Politicians, companies, civil society organisations and the representatives of the workers enter into dialogue and act together.
  4. There are functioning complaint mechanisms at factory level and legally binding agreements against gender-based violence between companies, suppliers and trade unions.
  5. Women on the ground are empowered: through training, the establishment of contact points, access to legal remedies and freedom of organisation, and support for women-led trade unions.

 

Our activities

Workshop Dindigul agreement


Contractual protection and protection through the Dindigul Agreement

By mobilising other companies, drafting an additional legally binding agreement and raising awareness and supporting local workers, we want to expand the existing agreement and thus protect textile workers from sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace.

INITIATIVE FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE DINDIGUL AGREEMENT

 


Inform, enlighten, break taboos

With lecture tours, campaign work and studies, we call on the public, politics and business in Germany to act.

CAMPAIGN #VIOLENCE AGAINST TEXTILE WORKERS...

 


Modern slavery: Sumangali & Camp Labour system

The exploitation system has recently been referred to by the factories not as ‘Sumangali’ but as ‘Camp Labour’, which does not change the fact that it is inhumane forced labour.

MODERN SLAVERY: SUMANGALI & CAMP LABOUR SYSTEM