Bangladesh is actively considering to ratify ILO C- 190: Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), and it will hopefully be ratified by March 2025, said AHM Shafiquzzaman, the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. He made this announcement while he was speaking as the Chief Guest in a multi-stakeholder dialogue on combating gender-based violence in Bangladesh RMG industry. The dialogue was organized on 3 December 2024 jointly by Ethical Trading Initiative Bangladesh (ETI Bangladesh), Reimagining Industry to Support Equality (RISE), and Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS). He also informed that the amendment of Bangladesh Labour Act will be completed soon.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Chief of the Labour Reform Commission and Executive Director, BILS delivered welcome address in the event. He emphasized on the role of each and every stakeholder as well as collaborative actions to address workplace violence and ensure dignity for workers.
The event brought together 68 representatives from trade unions, factories, civil society organizations and development partners, brands as well as government officials to discuss their roles and to generate ideas for collaborative actions in addressing GBV and improving workplace practices in the garment sector. They identified enabling factors, challenges, ways to overcome challenges and future course of action through a workshop session.
A panel discussion reflected on workshop outcomes and shade lights on shared responsibilities. The panel members included - Roksana Bilkis Lucky, GM - HR & Compliance, Aman-Unifill Group; China Rahman, Women Secretary, IndustriAll Bangladesh Council; General Secretary, Federation of Garment Workers; Md. Matiur Rahaman, Joint Inspector General, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Ministry of Labour and Employment; Tanjila Akter, Social Program Expert, Sustainability Social Program, H&M.
Smita Nimilita, Bangladesh Country Lead, Reimagining Industry to Support Equality (RISE), made a presentation on “Global context on GBVH and RISE’s social norms analysis findings” and Abil Bin Amin, Country Manager of ETI Bangladesh, delivered closing remarks and made a call for collective efforts to address challenges across all levels of the supply chain and emphasized the importance of taking measurable actions to improve worker conditions.
