Protesting textile workers at a street blockade in Mirpur, Dhaka on 12.01.2019. Photo © NGWF

Solidarity with arrested and dismissed workers in Bangladesh!

Around 10,670 workers from 99 factories were laid off, over a hundred were arrested, 3,084 were charged and over 30 had to go to court, the Bangladeshi trade union NGWF FEMNET said. Their report testifies to the dramatic situation on the ground, with workers protesting only for the lawful implementation of wage increases. In an anti-union climate, factory owners use the protests to get rid of strikers and other inconvenient workers (such as union members or pregnant women).

The campaign for clean clothes Germany made with a Week of Solidarity and a protest action in Berlin in front of the Bangladeshi embassy to pay attention to the tense situation.

In support of the arrested and accused seamstresses calls on FEMNET to donate! Through our solidarity fund, local partners finance e.g. Legal aid such as bail payments and costs for lawyers. #SolidarityWorks!

With experts from producing countries, civil society in the Textile Alliance made living wages the core topic of a symposium in Berlin in 2018. Photo © FEMNET

With experts from producing countries, civil society in the Textile Alliance made living wages the core topic of a symposium in Berlin in 2018. Photo © FEMNET

Shows more commitment to living wages!

The civil society in the Textile Alliance appeals to the member companies to finally let their commitments be followed by action: Only if they devote themselves ambitiously to the topic of living wages, there is a prospect of a decent life for the employees in the global textile and clothing industry. As part of a planned alliance initiative, they can coordinate their engagement in a structured way. The first step will be to start operations in Cambodia. In order to create as many synergies as possible, a strategic cooperation with the initiative ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation) was concluded. However, important brands have not yet given their commitment. The entire
.

Press release available online

Saeeda Khatoon and Nasir Mansoor reported on the suffering and struggle of those affected by the factory fire in Pakistan in 2016. In 2018, however, they were not heard in Dortmund. Photo: © Holger Priedemuth

Right of action for employees of suppliers against German manufacturers?

Saeeda Khatoon lost her son in a factory fire in 2012. It was a supplier factory for the German manufacturer KiK. Who bears the legal responsibility for the bad production conditions in other countries? With three other applicants, she brought an action against KiK before a German court – a historic step. However, the action was not dealt with because it was time-barred. KiK had agreed to waive the statute of limitations before the action, but about two years after the action was filed, it took the view that the waiver was ineffective. . Keep your eyes open, the topic will certainly meet you in 2019.There is currently no effective contact point for those affected. For the most part, human rights violations go unpunished, because the European buyers of these goods are not liable. In order to change this, organizations internationally are seeking the adoption of a so-called. ‘UN Binding Treaty’, to establish binding rules on corporate human rights due diligence. In Germany, FEMNET supports the

Treaty Alliance of Germany

So far, companies have only been required to take action against human rights violations against their suppliers on a voluntary basis. Photo: © Gisela Burckhardt ⁇ FEMNET

Value Chain Act: FEMNET welcomes the initiative of the BMZ

In Germany, movement finally comes into play: According to media information, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has drafted a value chain law. Violations should be punishable by imprisonment and fines. "It is only through voluntary action that we do not get far with the implementation of human rights in the supply chain. We have been calling for legal regulations for a long time. A value chain law would also effectively complement the voluntary textile alliance. FEMNET's Gisela Burckhardt calls for an end to the fact that the current rules of the market are putting sustainable players at a disadvantage. .Our complete Statement can be found online . For further reading, we recommend articles from 11.02.2019 in the tazand the

FAZ

EDUCATIONAL WORK

FEMNET has close contact with seamstresses in the production countries of our clothing and thus makes their living and working conditions tangible. Photo © FEMNET

Fair fashion as a theme for school to. “Our concept is well received, demand is high”, says FEMNET coordinator Marijke Mulder. Fashion is an expression of individuality, group affiliation and lifestyle. Hardly any topic of our everyday consumption is so important to children and adolescents themselves. In order to raise students' awareness of the global context and their own role as consumers in global supply chains, FEMNET now also offers

Educational events in schools Three modules are available, with which speakers trained by FEMNET impart knowledge about different production countries, labour rights violations as well as women's and human rights. In addition, units can be offered on the topics of seals/old dresses.
Contact us now for a FEMNET workshop at your school!

Successful start of the project for ‘consumer ambassadors’ at the Bonn school. Photo: © FEMNET

Successful start of project for ‘consumer ambassadors’ at Bonn School ). In it, students are trained to be (self-)critical consumer ambassadors who reflect on their own purchasing behavior of clothing and also pass this attitude on to their classmates.In 2017, FEMNET e.V. received the funding award ‘Strengthening Women. Securing Opportunities’ from the Soroptimist Club Bonn for the project ‘I BIN Consumer Ambassador’ (see

Award Ceremony Report Logo 'I am a consumer ambassador' Since 2018, the project has been implemented at Bonn schools. The pilot school is the Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium, which is located in a

Report on the successful start of the project

Intense discussion of the conference content. Photo © Kathrin Brunnhofer ⁇ FEMNET

Accompanying publication for the SEWlutions conference created as a semester project “SEWlutions for the future of the apparel industry?” was the name of the work assignment received by the nine-member student group of the Department of Textile and Apparel Technology at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. The result of the project work is a visually appealing brochure, which gives an overview of the FEMNET conference and encourages further reading. As part of our educational work at universities, FEMNET also supports selected semester projects with students. ‘Create a

Accompanying publication to the FEMNET conference The Student brochure (PDF file) and the
with photo gallery you can access online.

FAIRE PUBLIC PROCESSING

Workshop with the Fairtrade Town steering group in Saarbrücken. Photo: © FEMNET

Fairtrade Towns Committed to Fair Public Procurement

From small communities in southern Germany to Berlin districts - fair public procurement is finding more and more supporters. After FEMNET conducted strategy workshops in 2018 in cooperation with Fairtrade Germany in five Fairtrade Towns, ten new municipalities will follow in 2019. The first seven dates are now available: Stadt Freudenstadt (BW), Gemeinde Neubiberg (BY), Gemeinde Bad Endorf (BY), Gemeinde Dornstadt (BW), Stadt Wermelskirchen (NW), der Rhein-Kreis Neuss und der Bezirk Berlin-Mitte. Different places that connect a destination: They want to find out how they can procure workwear and textiles that are produced in a humane and environmentally friendly manner. The growing experience from pilot projects throughout Germany shows that this is possible. One Review of the workshops 2018 find it online. Our
You can download it as a PDF or order it from us.

Fair procure in Fairtrade Towns brochure

The training provides information on the best practices for integrating quality marks into tendering procedures. Photo: © FEMNET

Registration is open for 2019 intensive training courses on fair public procurement

In order to spread fair public procurement, in addition to effective lobbying, competent contact persons are needed to advise urban employees. Especially the product area of workwear and textiles offers public administrations a lot of experience for getting started. to. Nationwide, these can then be requested for lectures. Participants expect extensive and practical knowledge of textile procurement, which is taught on two training dates (see below). To broaden this knowledge, FEMNET will once again be offering

Intensive training for multipliers
Registration deadline is 18.04.2019.

Municipalities that serve as role models and respect social and environmental criteria can make a difference. Cover cut-out: © FEMNET

Municipalities that serve as role models and respect social and environmental criteria can make a difference. Cover cut-out: © FEMNET

Federal Guide to Eco-Fair Public Procurement" (PDF file) published. It explains how room for manoeuvre can be used - regardless of the federal state and whether central or decentralized and to what extent is procured. FEMNET has a new guide “

Opportunities for environmentally and socially sustainable public procurement

The guide is aimed primarily at procurers, but also at political decision-makers and contains numerous examples and templates for Council decisions, instructions and text modules for tenders in addition to legal foundations.
The brochure is also available in printed version and can be ordered at the FEMNET office.

NEWS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM

Dušan and Qin are involved in FEMNET. Photo: © Dusan Bojicevic

AIESEC interns at FEMNET

Qin Quyang from China and Dušan Bogićević from Serbia are currently completing an internship at FEMNET via the international exchange program of the student initiative AIESEC. We are looking forward to the international addition to our team!

Working conditions in the apparel industry were still a completely new topic for business students, but in a very short time they worked intensively. You will want to tell us about your experience later. For six weeks, the two volunteers support our project on fair public procurement. On our blog

www.modefairarbeiten.de

TIPS & TERMINE the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (RJM) in CologneUntil 24 February 2019 :

(PDF file)Exhibition ‘Fast Fashion. The Dark Sides of Fashion’ 24 February 2019 :

: Topic day South Asia at the RJM in Cologne 13 March 2019

: Action meeting for the Primark opening in Bonn: FEMNET and Bonn im Wandel cordially invite you to plan actions with us for the opening day in summer/autumn 2019.FairQuatschen in Bonn

: 01 April 2019 10 April 2019

: FEMNET is at the Fair Handel trade fair in StuttgartFairQuatschen in Bonn

FEMNET General Assembly 27 April 2019

18 May 2019:

FEMNET IN THE MEDIA (Bonn Sustainability Portal) Review of FEMNET 07.01.2019:

“Four years of the Sustainable Textiles Alliance: a process – complex, lengthy, challenging” (new germany) with quotes by Gisela Burckhardt and Kalpona Akter 11.01.2019:

"Textile agreements could be coming to an end" (Vaihinger Kreiszeitung) about a school workshop by FEMNET 23.01.2019:

"A speaker brings the topic of fair work and fair wages closer to Stromberg students" (textile network) Press release from civil society in the Textile Alliance 30.01.2019:

‘Enable living wages’ (TextilWirtschaft Online) with quotes by Gisela Burckhardt 30.01.2019:

"Mass redundancies in Bangladesh after strike" (Pinneberger Tageblatt) about a fundraising campaign for FEMNET 18.02.2019:

‘Readiness to donate at the Rellinger women's clothing market is unbroken’ (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) Blog post by Gisela Burckhardt and Carolijn Terwindt February 2019:

Social audits in the textile industry: How to control the controllers?

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