FEMNET NEWSLETTER No. 4/2015 - December - FEMNET

FEMNET NEWSLETTER No. 4/2015 - December


Content: 1. Campaign work 2. Projects & collaborations 3. Fundraising campaign winter 2015 4. Further news and activities 5. FEMNET in the media 6. Tips & dates 7. Disclaimer
Good day, At this point we would like to look back briefly on the past year, which has been very successful for us: With the help of an intensive public mobilization in the context of the Clean Clothes Campaign, in which FEMNET was also involved, the victims of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh could finally be compensated and it looks like the victims of Tazreen will soon receive payments. In both cases, the majority of the victims were women. The Textile Alliance in Germany has begun its work and now has more than 170 members. However, statutory regulation of corporate pension obligations by the government – which even individual companies would welcome – remains a long way off. The next year will show what the textile alliance will bring. We are still at the very beginning. FEMNET was able to successfully expand its project FairSchnitt and also initiate further projects, about which we report here. Celebrities such as Hannes Jaenicke and Janine Steeger are committed to FEMNET, for which we would like to thank you again. FEMNET will continue to work in 2016 to ensure that labour rights violations in the textile industry are detected and that the Textile Alliance, among other things, leads to effective improvements for women on the ground. We would like to thank you very much for your support this year and hope that you will continue to accompany us in the coming year. We wish you happy holidays, time for reflection and the opportunity to pause. For the coming year, we wish everyone less wars and less exploitation, instead peace, happiness and confidence. Your FEMNET team 1. Campaign work Bangladesh: 23.11.2015 marks the third anniversary of the fire at the Tazreen factory Finally, following the example of the Rana Plaza Fund, there is also a compensation fund for the more than 120 dead and 150 injured Tazreen fire. It is inconceivable how long it took to set up this compensation process. Read more... Cambodia: Visit of Cambodian trade unionist Sophorn Yang The Cambodian trade unionist reported on her work at universities and in particular on the great difficulties faced by Cambodian women due to the multiple burdens of work, family and household. For most of these women, it is simply impossible physically and temporally to fight for a fair wage and secure working conditions.The lectures were organized by FEMNET and the German Khmer Friendship e.V. Read more... Textile alliance: First small steps after a year On 16 October, the Textile Alliance celebrated its one-year anniversary. One would assume a certain balance of activities. Unfortunately, this is not the case, because in fact there were initially seven months of stagnation after the foundation, because the majority of the economy had not joined. Only after the action plan had been adapted – in terms of action, not objectives – did the business associations HDE (Handelsverband des deutschen Retails) and Textil+Mode call on their members to join. In the meantime, more than half of the German textile industry is a member of the Textile Alliance and a total of six working groups have been created. The coming year will show whether the alliance can and will contribute to improving the working conditions of textile workers. FEMNET will be particularly committed to this in the coming year. Read more... 2. Projects & collaborations Reports from our partners from Bangladesh and India Kita project in India with producers of H&M and C&A Our partner Cividep in India has prepared a study on the care situation of children of textile workers in factories in Bangalore, which is based on interviews with the textile workers. Cividep invited several times to discussions with shopping companies and the local factory management. Training is currently underway for caregivers from some factories with the aim of improving the care situation. In the meantime, a current study is available, which you can also access in German. More information about this project Summary of the main findings of the study New project: Modern slavery in South Indian spinning mills Another project, which we are carrying out together with our partner Cividep, is currently preparing a comprehensive study on debt bondage in spinning mills in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This will be available in early 2016 and will be translated by us. We will create and publish short factsheets for this purpose. For May 2016, FEMNET is planning a tour of two guests from the south in several cities and universities, who will explain the catastrophic working conditions in the spinning mills. If you are interested in us also coming to you, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. At the beginning of 2015, we already reported on the conditions in the Indian spinning mills. Link to the study at the time News from India from our partner organisation MUNNADE/GLU The GLU (Garment Labour Union) led the strike against the controversial labor reforms planned by the state. September 2, 2015 marks a milestone in the history of GLU. On this day, the GLU, together with the Central Union Organization, managed to mobilize 25,000 women for the All India General Strike. In just a few days, meetings were convened, an action plan was drawn up, 500 posters were printed overnight and distributed by the GLU members in the Peenya industrial area. The posters contained the following demands: No deterioration of existing labour law Equal wages for work of equal value Raising the minimum wage to 15,000 rupees (equivalent to about 205 euros) per month Increase in pension to 3,000 rupees (equivalent to about 41 euros) monthly No debt bondage No price increases The rally took place in the Peenya industrial area in Bangalore, where mainly the textile production is located. Subsequently, the strike parties exchanged views on their demands at a public meeting. Our educational project FairSchnitt FairSchnitt project – Expert workshop On 9 October 2015, an expert workshop took place in which lecturers from universities and multipliers from FEMNET were able to find out about the Fair WearFoundation. Read more... FairSchnitt project – Again, numerous workshops on (un)worthy working conditions with students of fashion-related courses have been carried out FairSchnitt has already successfully completed many workshops at universities in Germany in the current winter semester. There were assignments at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, HAW Hamburg and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. A workshop with aspiring fashion journalists was held at the Akademie Mode und Design in Düsseldorf. With a special format, the Trier University of Applied Sciences also ventured into unknown realms – here the professor organised a two-day workshop on a completely voluntary basis in cooperation with FairSchnitt. 12 students took part and subsequently showed a keen interest in continuing to engage with the issue of human rights in their sector. Module 8 ‘Consumer behaviour and old clothes’ and Module 11 ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)’ are currently in high demand at universities. Project FairSchnitt – On www.modeFAIRarbeiten.de we blog Our blog is online! The name modeFAIRarbeiten conceals an informative and imaginative platform on which everything revolves around the study and working world of fair fashion. The first articles are already online and can be discussed directly on the page. For those who want to stay up-to-date, an RSS feed is also available. We are also looking forward to ideas and suggestions for upcoming articles – who knows, maybe some readers would like to write and publish something themselves? The blog is open to self-researched and written articles. To the blog... Pilot project "Fair public procurement" The pilot project on social public procurement, carried out together with the City of Bonn, is coming to an end. In cooperation with the City of Bonn, FEMNET has revised the tender documents of the Office for Urban Green in the last 4.5 months, so that in the future social criteria for the purchase of workwear must be observed by the suppliers of workwear. A successful bidder dialogue has taken place, informing potential suppliers of what they need to consider in the future. The office for urban green also benefited from the mutual exchange. The employees as future wearers of fair clothing were brought on board. The culmination was a public event on the 8th. December with greetings from Mayor Klingmüller and Dr. Gisela Burckhardt a fashion show with fair workwear. The second phase of the project will continue to accompany the call for tenders and will also support other offices of the City of Bonn in the transition to fair procurement. To the press report of the Bonner General-Anzeiger... 3. Fundraising campaign winter 2015 When do human rights become fashionable? When at last? Millions of women and girls who are exploited in the apparel industry are still hidden namelessly and invisibly behind the ‘beautiful’ world of fashion. That has to change. In our last call for donations, we introduced three women who stand up for their rights against all odds. Nurun Nahar (45), Tania Akter (24) and Dalyia Shikdur (21) courageously oppose the system of oppression and discrimination in Bangladesh's textile factories. From childhood they knew only the work as seamstresses in the factory. They had to leave school and were on their own in a life on the brink of subsistence. Today, they are headed by trade unions, some of which they themselves created. It feels good to report on these women, because it gives us courage. But there are still far too few women who manage to withstand the pressure and break the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation. To achieve this, women need support from local partners, public relations and campaigns. FEMNET stands by the side of these women! We urgently need donations and memberships. We have to finance our projects from our own resources. Our campaigns, awareness-raising and public relations work also depend on it. Please support our work with your donation! The seamstresses need your help! Donate online or by bank transfer. Our bank details GLS Community Bank eG Bank code: 43060967 Account: 300800800 IBAN: DE93 4306 0967 0300 800 800 BIC: GENODEM1GLS Our work is recognized as charitable, your donation is deductible from the tax. Do you want to get involved? Become an active member or sponsoring member of FEMNET e.V.! 4. Further news and activities Anne Klein Women's Award for our President Gisela Burckhardt has been campaigning for the rights of women workers in the global textile industry for many years. The Heinrich Böll Foundation has now honoured its commitment with the Anne Klein Women's Award. ‘She is a bridge-builder between consumers in Europe and manufacturing women, particularly in India, Bangladesh and Cambodia’ is the verdict of the five-member jury, which includes Barbara Unmüßig, Board Member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and Renate Künast of Bündnis90/Die Grünen. As embarrassing as the conditions in the textile factories are, so outstanding is Gisela Burckhardt's commitment to changing conditions. The prize, which is awarded by the foundation in honor of the politician and feminist pioneer Anne Klein, is endowed with 10,000 euros and will be presented solemnly on 4 March. Read more... 5. FEMNET in the media Press review October to December 2015 14 October 2015 Goethe currently: Production conditions of Mode Todschick 28 October 2015 Greenpeace magazine: Activists call for: Kik has to pay compensation 26 November 2015 Radio Ö1: In conversation November – Periphery No 140: Gisela Burckhardt and Hildegard Scheu in conversation (presumably available online from January) 10 November 2015 Lokalkompass.de: Gisela Burckhardt reads at Scala 26 November 2015 derStandard.at: Fairtrade alone does not guarantee a fair wage 02. December 2015 fashionmag.com: Gisela Burckhardt at the Literary Salon in Hanover 07. December 2015 Heinrich Böll Foundation: on the person: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt 07. December 2015 SZ-Online, Sächsische Zeitung: Inhumane textile production 08. December 2015 renate-kuenast.de: Anne Klein Women's Award for Gisela Burckhardtenate-kuenast.de: Anne Klein Women's Award for Gisela Burckhardt 6. Tips & dates Current dates and past events can be found on our FEMNET homepage In particular, we would like to draw your attention to the following dates: 19-21 January 2016 Ethical Fashion Week in Berlin 22-23 January 2016 Action meeting of the campaign for clean clothing in Bad Driburg. If you are interested, please register. 4 February 2016 FEMNET is at the Tecstyle trade fair in Stuttgart 26-28 February 2016 MODE TRIFFT MORAL - A weekend about the light and dark sides of fashion at the Hygienemuseum in Dresden 4 March 2016 Awarding of the Anne Klein Prize to Gisela Burckhardt in Berlin – Everyone is cordially invited! 9 April 2016 FEMNET General Assembly in Bonn. 7. Disclaimer FEMNET e.V. Feminist Perspectives on Politics, Economy and Society Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 11 53113 Bonn This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel. 0228 18038116 Board of Directors: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Vanessa Püllen, Andrea Lindner, Franziska Gorgas, Christiane Kühnrich Editorial and responsible within the meaning of § 5 TMG: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt Disclaimer: Despite careful content control, we assume no liability. File number VR 9568B at the District Court of Bonn.