Femnet e.V.

Gender-Responsive Health Protection - News

20 June 2024 Improving working conditions for women in the fashion industry through dialogue and cooperation

We are aware of the poor working conditions in the clothing and footwear industry, but what can we do about it? Our new video explains how we can tackle this problem.

Workers in the garment and footwear industry work under stressful conditions, long working hours and high production targets. Since most of the workers in these factories are women, they bear the brunt. Because occupational health and safety regulations were developed by men, there is a large gap in the protection of female workers. Previous rules have proven to be inadequate as they do not take into account the specific risks and hazards that women face in the workplace.

For this reason, FEMNET, our Indian partner organization Cividep, our Indonesian partner organization Trade Unions Right Center (TURC) and the Südwind Institute have joined forces to develop new guidelines for occupational safety and health that take into account a gender perspective. Through Cividep and TROC, extensive studies have been carried out in India and Indonesia with women working in the sector and with professionals. The aim was to better understand the main risks for women in these sectors and to find solutions.

The Cividep study showed that most workers struggle with numerous health problems: musculoskeletal disorders, poor nutrition, sexual and reproductive, and mental health problems. Most workers are forced to use the private health care system to treat these work-related health problems and spend 20-30% of their income on health care.

The TURC study in Indonesia has shown that there is a lack of implementation and recognition of workers' rights, leading to long working hours and a lack of occupational health and safety. Employees in the shoe industry come into contact with hazardous substances on a daily basis. Another problem for female employees is the blurring of the boundaries between work and private life, as well as poor housing conditions.

So workers suffer from their working conditions on many levels, but the studies have also shown that there are many measures that can be taken to improve this situation. FEMNET and the three partner organisations bring together the main players in the industry to work on improving working conditions and develop practical guidelines that can be implemented in factories.

Fashion brands have a responsibility to ensure the safety and health of their employees and to carry out their duty of care, especially towards their female employees, who make up the majority in these sectors. We invite companies that have production in India or Indonesia to participate in the project.

 

Project presentation in short version (2 minutes)

Project presentation in detail (4:20 minutes)