"45pc face it in RMG sector: study", 25 August 2023

Readymade garment workers encountered five forms of gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in their workplaces, according to a study released yesterday.

Among them, 45 percent experienced sexual violence and harassment, 22 percent psychological harassment, 17 percent verbal abuse, nine percent encountered economic exploitation, and seven percent physical violence, said the report...

Due to sexual violence and harassment, 89 percent of workers suffered mental breakdowns, while 83 percent lost interest in their jobs, said the study.

Of the incidents, 71 percent occurred inside the factory, 15 percent took place outside the factory, nine percent at home, and five percent happened during daily commute, the report added.

The study further said that 57 percent of workers lost their jobs, 45 percent had to temporarily stop working or lost pay, 54 percent experienced family problems, and 48 percent reported an increase or decrease in their production targets if they filed complaints with the authorities.

Additionally, 65 percent of the workers shared that the perpetrators held power due to their good relations with mid-to-senior-level management employees, while 26 percent of them had connections with locally influential people and their associates.

The majority of GBVH perpetrators were co-workers and supervisors as 22 percent of GBVH incidents were caused by co-workers, with the same percentage applicable to supervisors. The second-highest group responsible for GBVH were line chiefs and mid-to-senior-level management officials, according to the study.

Thirty-six percent of workers said their experience of GBVH was worsened through character shaming and rumours -- tactics often used by management and perpetrators to justify their abuse, revealed the study.

Furthermore, 50 percent of workers faced wage deductions or were made to work extra hours without overtime pay by their supervisors or factory management if they did not agree to their sexual advances...