Market research firm Kaizen CRS has conducted a study, covering discussants pointing out that 20 per cent of female workers in RMG factories remain absent from work due to illnesses related to menstrual hygiene. Around 85 per cent of the country’s 4.2 million apparel workers are women, most of them fall in the 18-35 age group. The report states that owners of RMG factories have not yet fully realised the economic benefits of investing in health needs of their female workers. Bangladesh RMG sector incurs loss of about US $ 22.5 million per annum due to this absenteeism, the workers suffer a vicious cycle of illness leading to absenteeism, which in turn leads to lower wages. All these things ultimately leads to restricting workers’ access to sexual and reproductive health services due to low wages.
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This issue was highlighted in a roundtable on ‘Ensuring Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Garment Workers through Health Insurance’, which was organized by The Daily Star and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. Farhtheeba Rahat Khan, Team Leader of Working with Women Project at SNV, is of the opinion that health insurance paid jointly by factory owners can largely mitigate Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) issues faced by women workers. With funding support from the Dutch embassy, SNV is implementing health insurance inclusive business models in eight garment factories.
Also present at the meeting, Tahmina Rahman, General Secretary of Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation insists that inspectors should make unannounced visits to RMG factories.
