The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change (STITCH) have jointly developed a learning and monitoring resource pack on gender sensitivity and grievance redressal. This has been done under an MoU signed by the parties to promote gender sensitivity in the Bangladeshi RMG sector.
The resource pack includes – i) a guidance document for developing in-house policies on sexual harassment prevention and remedy; ii) guidelines on Sexual Harassment Complaint Committee (SHCC) formation according to legal provisions; iii) a process flowchart for complaint receiving, management and remedy; iv) awareness-raising packages for workers and for management staffs of the factories; v) a monitoring tool to ensure effective implementation.
The materials were developed through several rounds of discussions among BKMEA and STITCH consortium members – ETI Bangladesh, Fair Wear Foundation and Mondiaal FNV throughout the last year. Finally, the resources were validated by BKMEA and STITCH through a joint validation workshop on 6 - 7 March 2024 at Dhaka.
The closing ceremony of the workshop was graced by BKMEA Vice President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan along with Country Manager of Fair Wear Foundation Md. Bablur Rahman, Country Manager of ETI Bangladesh Abil Bin Amin and human rights & gender expert Sanaiyya Ansari, who designed and facilitated the workshop. They highlighted the commitment to fostering positive change in the textile industry through promoting gender sensitivity and effective grievance redressal.
