abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb

這頁面沒有繁體中文版本,現以English顯示

內容有以下的語言版本: English, 日本語

故事

2021年2月8日

India: Garment worker allegedly raped & murdered by supervisor at H&M supplier Natchi Apparels after months of sexual abuse & harassment; Incl. H&M's response

On 5 January 2021, Jeyasre Kathiravel, a 20-year-old Dalit worker at H&M supplier Natchi Apparels in Tamil Nadu, India, was found dead after allegedly being raped and murdered by her supervisor at the factory, named by Indian media as V Thangadurai. Seven women workers at the factory testified that Kathiravel had been sexually harassed by the supervisor in the factory several times in the months leading up to her death. Thangadurai has since been charged with her murder and is in jail awaiting trial.

Women workers report multiple instances of sexual harassment, physical acts of sexual assault, unwanted sexual touching or physical contact, unwelcome sexual advances and feeling pressured to engage with supervisors and managers sexually within the factory. Despite filing complaints with management with the help of their union The Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU), workers say Eastman Exports Global – the owner of Natchi Apparels – took no action and maintained an internal complaints committee focused on repressing rather than exposing serious and ongoing violations. When TTCU attempted to raise the non-responsiveness with management, Eastman management refused to engage. Trade unions and civil society organisations have accused buyers’ internal audit systems of failing to ensure the proper functioning of the Internal Complaints Committee at the factory.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited H&M and LIDL - listed publicly as buyers from Natchi Apparels - and Eastman Exports to respond to the Kathiravel's murder and allegations raised by women workers. LIDL said it has not had a business relationship with Natchi Apparels for over two years. H&M said it is in close contact with the local trade union; has communicated a set of immediate and urgent actions for its supplier; has explicitly demanded that the factory management refrain from contacting the family; and will initiate an independent third-party investigation regarding incidents related to harassment. The full response is included below. Eastman Exports did not respond.

On 1 April 2022, groundbreaking legally binding agreements were signed between Eastman Exports and the TTCU, as well two international worker rights groups, the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) and Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF). Among other provisions, the agreement will include Eastman Exports strengthening its internal complaints process and establishing an independent grievance mechanism, the installation of TTCU members on the factory floor to ensure women are safe at work and the operation of a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and verbal and physical abuse. H&M has signed a separate agreement with the TTCU, AFWA and GLJ-ILRF and has committed to staying at the factory to help with implementation.

An investigation by Worker Rights Consortium found that at least two other women workers had been murdered at the factory prior to Kathiravel. It also identified Marks & Spencer and Walmart as sourcing from the factory in the period of time when workers testified to experiencing sexual abuse. Marks & Spencer has said it ceased trading with Natchi in January 2020 and will not be working with the factory nor signing up to the agreement. Walmart did not respond to journalists' requests for comment.

On 29 July 2022, the US Customs and Border Protection issued a Withold Release Order against Natchi Apparels, over concerns of forced labour. In October 2022, it was reported that the U.S. government had withdrawn the import ban, following evidence of remediation around and the absence of forced labour, according to all five indicators of forced labour, as identified by the International Labour Organization.

This case also features in BHRRC's report "Unbearable harassment: The fashion industry and widespread abuse of female garment workers in Indian factories".

企業回應

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) 瀏覽回應
Eastman Exports

沒有回應

時間線

隱私資訊

本網站使用 cookie 和其他網絡存儲技術。您可以在下方設置您的隱私選項。您所作的更改將立即生效。

有關我們使用網絡儲存技術的更多資訊,請參閱我們的 數據使用和 Cookie 政策

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

分析cookie

ON
OFF

您瀏覽本網頁時我們將以Google Analytics收集信息。接受此cookie將有助我們理解您的瀏覽資訊,並協助我們改善呈現資訊的方法。所有分析資訊都以匿名方式收集,我們並不能用相關資訊得到您的個人信息。谷歌在所有主要瀏覽器中都提供退出Google Analytics的添加應用程式。

市場營銷cookies

ON
OFF

我們從第三方網站獲得企業責任資訊,當中包括社交媒體和搜尋引擎。這些cookie協助我們理解相關瀏覽數據。

您在此網站上的隱私選項

本網站使用 cookie 和其他網絡儲存技術來增強您在必要核心功能之外的體驗。