Dear friends of FEMNET,

...and the winner is: Rukmini Puttaswamy! The Indian women's rights activist wins the 17th. This year's Bremen Solidarity Award honours activists who are particularly committed to combating violence against girls and women. Rukmini leads the only women-led union GLU in India and is a co-founder of the women's rights organization Munnade. She and her team work tirelessly for the rights of workers. We are very proud of our long-standing partner who proposed FEMNET for the award. You can also listen to a Clean Clothes Campaign podcast in our ‘FEMNET in Media and Reports’ section. Among other things, Rukmini will talk about Gender Based Violence (GBV).

In addition, we are pleased to have two new board members at FEMNET, Elke Klemenz and Susanne Schmeier, who have been supporting FEMNET since the end of last year. We look forward to working together!

A stimulating reading wishes

the FEMNET Team

© Industrial Workers' Federation Of Myanmar-IWFM

Call for donations for trade union members and employees in Myanmar

Since the military coup on February 1, the people of Myanmar have been resisting the military takeover - with street rallies, strikes and noise protests. Workers from all sectors of the economy join the protests, including the textile workers. You and many trade unionists are under pressure. Many activists have to go into hiding, they now need support, including for accommodation and food. That is why we call donations under the heading ‘Myanmar’.

More about the events in Myanmar...

© FEMNET

Supply Chain Law is Coming! – However, with compromises

Supply Chain Law is Coming! That much is now certain. Since January 12, after months of negotiations, there has finally been an agreement for a supply chain law. However, initial analyses show that there are large gaps in the draft law: The central element of civil liability is waived. This prevents victims of human rights violations from suing the responsible companies in German courts. In addition, the law should only enter into force from 2023 and only apply to companies with more than 3,000 employees. It remains questionable, therefore, how effective the new law will be in the event of violations. The Cabinet is expected to formally adopt the bill for the Supply Chain Act on 17 March.

Our opinion and other Information on planned protest actions find it online.

© FEMNET

‘The green button’: German state metaseal does not guarantee human rights protection

Textiles produced without the exploitation of seamstresses and environmental pollution - this is what many consumers expect from products certified with the ‘Green Button’ of the German Ministry of Development. One Research report FEMNET and Public Eye show that one year after the introduction of the label, the ‘Green Button’ does not guarantee effective human rights protection. To this end, both NGOs have investigated the reporting of 31 fashion companies. The sobering result: Most companies report only superficially on the risks in their supply chain. In view of these disturbing findings, the BMZ, as the sealing body, urgently needs to improve.

The Press release the research report and the Factsheet by FEMNET and Public Eye (PDF file) can be found online, as well as the Opinion of the BMZ (PDF file) as well as the Reply from FEMNET on this.

Work card of Jeyasre Kathiravel. Photo: Handout

Murder of a female worker sheds new light on structural violence in India's factories

Violence against women is a bitter everyday occurrence in India's factories. On January 5, a young woman working at the Natchi textile factory in southern India was found dead - murdered by her supervisor. The man confessed to the crime and is in prison. H&M and Lidl have Natchi Apparel produce. In order to protect young women in the factories, there must be a Committee against Sexual Harassment (ICC) there by law. However, these committees are either only on paper or do not work.

FEMNET has contacted both companies and asked them what steps they will take. While H&M is also in favour of an independent investigation, Lidl has only reacted with general phrases. Both companies have not taken any action so far.

The entire message can be found on our website.

Clean Clothes Campaign: Association founded!

With 25 years of commitment, 25 member organisations and 12 regional groups, the campaign for clean clothing Germany was a considerable network and a permanent institution when it comes to labour rights in clothing production. "War" because it is no longer a loose network, but a club since 11 February 2021. The move was planned for a long time and is intended to strengthen the alliance institutionally.

FEMNET is one of the 16 founding members, all other existing and new members can now join the association with little effort. Otherwise, everything stays the same - we look forward to 25 more years of joint commitment for textile workers worldwide.

More information and links.

© FEMNET

For those who want to know more

Nearshoring and automation, the environmental impact of the textile industry and the struggle for living wages are just a few of the topics discussed in the new publications. FEMNET material database to be addressed. Here you will find information literature, but also explicit teaching and learning materials as well as films and exhibitions. We also include publications from NGOs, academia and committed non-fiction authors. The database is updated regularly – it's worth a visit!