‘Number of working women increasing every day’, says Meher Afroz Chumki

‘The number of women working in Bangladesh is increasing every day,’ said Meher Afroz Chumki, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. She was the Chief Guest at the 2nd National Conference on SRHR at Workplace.

The conference was jointly organised by Department of Population Sciences, Dhaka University and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban, Dhaka University on 17th December 2019.

His Excellency, Mr Harry Verweij, Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was present as the Guest of Honour, and emphasised that embassy strongly supports the idea of implementing SRHR in the workplace, particularly the RMG sector. ‘We will continue expanding our relations with you,’ he said.

Four parallel sessions took place in the day long conference where representatives from the government, private sector, RMG sector, NGOs and universities came forward to raise the issue of the importance of quality SRH services for RMG workers, especially women. These services include- menstrual hygiene management, maternal leave policies, mental health issues, sexual harassment policies etc.

In a response to a question from the audience, Dr Md Sarwar Bari, Joint Secretary, DGFP, stated that the government is working towards making a platform where together the government, NGOs and INGOs will have the opportunity to work together in a collaborative approach. 

In the session titled ‘Inclusive Business in RMG Sectors’, Eng Md Kawsar Ali, Chief Operating Officer, Comfit Composite Knit Ltd mentioned that with the help of training, his company was able to teach young and adolescent female workers use machines within 15 to 30 days.

Speakers emphasised on the fact that RMG workers must be treated as an asset. It is only when an employee is satisfied, happy and healthy, that they can provide with the most productive output. This will result in a win-win for both the employee and the company.

On the issue of whether sanitary pads should be given to female workers for free or not, Ms Fartheeba Rahat Khan, Team Leader, SNV’s RMG Inclusive Business Program, stated ‘We want to encourage the women to take care of her own health as it is her right.’ She further mentioned that Menstrual Hygiene Management must never be a favour that one does on another. At the same time, it is also the responsibility of companies to provide sanitary pads at a minimal cost so that everybody, regardless of economic status, can afford it.

Mushfiqa Zaman Satiar, Senior Policy Advisor (SRHR and Gender), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, said, ‘In the beginning, it was difficult to even talk about SRHR. Starting from 2010, we have today made a huge progress.’ She further urged the organisations to approach the government for policy advocacy with one voice.