BGMEA condemns Guardian article ‘defaming’ RMG women workers

Business Desk :
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has condemned a recent article published by the Guardian which “defamed” women workers in the RMG sector.
“A recent article published by the Guardian framing the lives of women garment workers in Bangladesh between factory and brothel, is not only offensive but also a gross over-generalisation. It risks overshadowing the remarkable transformation of women’s empowerment propelled by the nation’s RMG industry,” the BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said in a statement on Sunday.
“Such a narrative is a disservice to their modest meaning of life and dreams they cherish. The report itself appears to be incorrect to us as it says that the mentioned female worker works for a large factory, didn’t mention the name; and there is hardly any export-oriented garment factory located at the place the report mentions, except for a few tailoring facilities catering the local market only,” he added.
The Guardian published an article titled “Woman making Christmas jumpers for UK turns to sex work to pay bills” on 23 December.
“The report does not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes against women at work, but also defames an industry that employs millions of women and contributing significantly to national economy,” said the BGMEA.
“It’s true that individual hardships exist, but framing women workers within a single struggle is potentially harming them by provoking radicalism, causing social stigma and mental illness,” it reads.
“Consider this: in a moderate Muslim country, Bangladesh has emerged as a model in the region in women empowerment and gender parity. The World Economic Forum’s recent Gender Gap Report places Bangladesh at the top in South Asia for gender equality for the 9th consecutive year, ranking us 59th globally. The labour force participation rate of women has soared from a mere 8% in 1983 to a remarkable 38% today.”