Daily Star, Mon, Oct 18-04            http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/10/18/d410182501104.htm
Star City

                  Female garment workers not safe on city streets.
                  Faizul A Tanim

                  Ferdousi, a young garment worker walks almost two
kilometres every day to her workplace in Mirpur. On her way she faces harassment and teasing by local goons almost daily. But she has to endure all to continue her job.

                  "I must work for living," said Ferdousi who is the bread
earner of her family. "I cannot afford even the cheapest transport
service -- bus-- as my salary is only Tk 875 per month. I have to go to factory and return home on foot in this insecure situation."

                  While Ferdousi and her co-workers walk home every day in the evening, they are subject to teasing. A few policemen patrol the streets but they never come to help the victims. "They are busy collecting tolls from hawkers and vendors," alleged Ferdousi.

                  Another garment worker, Rahela, 20, was abducted when returning home from factory at Savar on August 22. She was raped and critically injured by miscreants in a jungle near Mir Mosharaf Hossain Hall of Jahangirnagar University. After fighting for life for over 30 days, she died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on September 24.

                  These are just few cases of 80 percent women workers of the garment industry that employs about 20 lakh workers, mostly women. The rape and killing of Rahela worried almost all garment workers of around 1,800 to 2,000 factories in Dhaka city.

                  Female workers of Gulshan and Banani-based garment factories alleged they are teased on the way in the Badda area. They are sometimes robbed of.

                  "Muggers often swoop on us on our salary days. Many of us have fallen victims to the muggers on way home in the evening after drawing monthly salary," said Amina who works in a factory in the Gulshan area.

                  Most of these workers said they feel insecure when
returning home. "The killing of Rahela has increased our fear," said another worker. "But what can we do? Who will arrange regular and safe transport for us?"

                  The garment workers agree that it is difficult for factory
management to arrange transport for so many workers. "But they can make some safety arrangements at least on pay day to save us from muggers," said a female worker.

                  Another problem is that most of the garment workers live in such places where there is no bus service. Some workers can reach the nearest bus stand but poor salaries force them to go on foot, as they cannot afford bus fares.

                  "Although the standard rate of wage is Tk 930 per month, most workers allege their salary are below that figure," said Nazma Akter, general secretary of Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF).

                  Alauddin Ahmed, manager administration of Alpine Group, which owns several factories, said: "We always try to help our workers. If any worker lets us know about mugging or harassment by miscreants, we report these incidents to the police."

                  Shahana Begum who works in a factory in Tejgaon said the area has become quite unsafe for women to get about after 8:00pm.

                  "The administration of our factory, after the Rahela
incident, decided not to let us go home at night. We stay on factory premises through the night and we are permitted to leave at 6:00am when it is safe to travel. This step indeed is appreciable," voiced Shahana.

                  When asked, a Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association official (BGMEA) said "It is not possible for garment factory owners to ensure the security of female workers outside the factory premises."

                  "But some can provide transport, set up hostels for female workers or let them leave by 5:00 pm on pay day," said Rafiqul Islam, senior deputy secretary of BGMEA adding that the biggest problem is social insecurity.

                  An official of a non-governmental organisation, Karmajibi Nari said: "A new labour code is being formulated. We are trying to convince the authorities, to include under the new regulation the safety of female workers outside factory premises."

                  "Social safety must be improved. Local political leaders back most goons who tease garment workers on the streets. They should ask their boys to stop teasing girls," said another union leader.

                  BIGUF and Karmajibi Nari get at least two complaints on harassment each week, 95 percent of these are related to teasing or mugging while five percent are sexual harassment.

                  Garment workers stream home on foot late in the evening after a hard day's work unsure if they would reach their destinations safely. PHOTO: Syed Zakir Hossain