26 July: Health services for RMG workers during new normal
On 26 July 2020, SNV in Bangladesh's Working with Women II project in collaboration with The Daily Star will organise a virtual roundtable titled 'Access to general and reproductive health services for RMG workers during new normal: challenges and opportunities'.
Date and time
Date: Sunday, 26 July 2020
Time: 11:00-13:00 UTC+06
Watch Live @
SNV Bangladesh Facebook Page and The Daily Star Facebook Page
About the Working with Women II project
SNV’s Working with Women-II project aims to improve the health and wellbeing of ready garment workers (RMG) in Bangladesh through inclusive business practices across the RMG value chain. Working with Women-II builds on the success of a three-year pilot project (Working with Women-I) and is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. One of the key mandates of the project is to support knowledge generation on inclusive business solutions in the RMG value chain of Bangladesh. Learn more.
About the Virtual Roundtable
The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is a key contributor to the economic growth of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh’s main export industry. The sector is employing around 4.2 million people through 4621 factories - of whom approximately 70% are women - and indirectly supports as many as 40 million Bangladeshis (about 25% of the population). In the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 this sector represented 83% of Bangladesh's total export with the export total of 28 billion USD.1 As one of major engine of GDP growth of the country, Government aiming to grow this industry to $50 billion by 2021. – Thus, this major sector is at stake due to COVID-19!
After the Rana Plaza incident, the Ready-made garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh has gone through a massive transformation in terms of workplace safety, labour standards, and environmental sustainability which has made Bangladesh as one of the most compliant apparel sourcing destinations in the world. By ensuring proper safety measures, taking health concerns of workers at best and following adequate measures we surely can fight down the wrath of COVID-19 as well.
To find proper initiatives and way to ensure workers’ safety and resolve their non-COVID and SRH crisis along with COVID-19 and to urge all parties and stakeholders about the importance of facilitating general health services for RMG workers during this new normal Working with Women- II of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is going to organize this online roundtable.
K.M. Abdus Salam, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Bangladesh Secretariat has given his kind consent to adorn the chair as chief guest of the roundtable. Discussants in the relevant arena from Government, Donor organisations, Academicia, NGOs, Buyer organisation, Factory owner and management, Trade union, Health clinics, Media, and SNV will share their knowledge, thoughts and suggestions to address and find out solutions to overcome existing and newly emerged SRHR challenges due to COVID-19.
Focus areas of Discussion
Accessing Menstrual Health Management, Family Planning, and Health Financing
Gender based violence including sexual violence against female workers and mental health.
Strategic planning and coordinated action to maintain essential health service delivery for RMG workers during new normal.
Government and private sector collaboration with the RMG sector to help improve accessing essential health services for RMG workers.
Join our Roundtable Facebook Event here