"The training showed me that I canhave a better career. Until then Icouldn't imagine being anything morethan a simple operator. The traininghas also promoted my family's respectfor me."

Beauty Barman, Mymensing,Bangladesh

Context  Skills development for female garments workers

Bangladesh is the third biggest garments exporter in the world. It exportsover US $10 billion worth of garments constituting 15% of its GDP. Thecountry's garments industry has radically changed the lives of millions ofBangladeshis. Garment factories employ some 3 million people, themajority of them poor women, and provide indirect support to millionsmore. Despite having drastically increased their presence in labourforce, Bangladeshi women still face disadvantages and discrimination athome and in the workplace. They continue to be discouraged from usingthe law to stand up for their rights. Many female workers are confined tolow-wage positions. Social disempowerment is a problem: Bangladeshhas the highest rates of early marriage in Asia and high levels ofdomestic violence.

Objectives 

Promote social standards in garments sector so that Bangladeshcan tap its potential in the global market to boost its economicgrowth.

Impact 

1 500 women, including some with disabilities, were trained asskilled garments workers. Trained employees are paid startingwages three times higher than those of unskilled novices.

Promotion of workers rights and of worker-management dialoguecontributed markedly to better compliance in more than 1 000factories, benefiting more than one million workers. Productivity ofteams led by trained line supervisors increased by 18%.

Trainees gained better ambitions, improved self-esteem and highersocial status as well as bigger say in decision-making at home, inthe community and in the workplace.

Trade Promotion of labour standards in Bangladesh's garmentssector 

EU Partner 

Deutsche Gesellschaftfür InternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Facts and Figures 

EU contribution:€ 2.4 million (85% ofthe total project)Period:January 2010 -December 2013

Locations:mainly Dhaka andChittagong

MDG 8

Promotion of labour standards in Bangladesh's garments sector 

 

Skills development for better opportunities and greaterempowerment

Thirty-year-old Beauty Barman was born partially sighted in a villagenear Mymensingh in northern Bangladesh. The eldest of four siblings ina poor landless farmer’s family, Beauty got married in 1999 and movedto Gazipur district near Dhaka to live with her husband’s family. Thereshe faced verbal and physical violence because of her disability. Beingunskilled and disabled hindered her efforts to find a job, and she hadlittle choice but to work in a construction site earning only 70 BDT (some70 euro-cents) a day. To continue working, Beauty had to send hernewborn baby away to her mother.

Then in 2009, Beauty joined the “Skill development training for garmentworkers” run by the Dhaka Ahsania Mission in its Gazipur centre. Shewas trained as a knitting operator, which is one of the most difficult jobsin the garment industry but which earns higher pay. She was alsotrained in labour law and workers rights. Beauty’s husband was madeaware of the law, especially concerning violence against women, andBeauty was provided with psychological counselling to overcome hertrauma. Straight after completing training, Beauty found a job earning anaverage of 6000 BDT (some 60 euros) per month. This raised thefamily's combined income to 9000 BDT, allowing them to join lifeinsurance schemes. Beauty also joined a separate saving scheme in abank.

"This training has been a miracle for me, it has dramatically changedmy life," says Beauty. "Now I have a well-paid, decent job. At home, myhusband now knows that violence is not a solution. Instead, he takescare of me." Her husband has changed and Beauty is now the one incharge of managing the family income. "Our daughter still lives at mymother’s place so that we both can work. But we're now able to provideher with proper food and education, so that when she grows up she'll bebetter prepared and have the skills needed to find a good job."

Female garments workers at work

Trade