Support for local women: Your solidarity helps

Massive labour and human rights violations are hidden behind the shimmering facade of the global fashion industry. We support the workers and their local representatives in their fight for fair working conditions – also financially.

In order to embed improvements of working and living conditions for workers effectively at the local level, we work together with selected partner organisations on a long-term basis, especially in India and Bangladesh. They are in daily contact with the workers. Many of them are guided by former seamstresses, so that they know very well about the problems they are confronted with. Based on this knowledge, our partners develop their project ideas independently. Projects aim at enabling workers to stand up for the enforcement of rights themselves. We make sure that women in particular are supported in their rights and needs, for example through the establishment of women-led trade unions and with projects for better childcare and against sexual harassment or violence.

We are regularly on site to jointly plan the future and to make sure that your donations get to where they are needed.

Support for courageous women

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Kalpona Akter, like many other women, worked in garment factories as a child to support her family. When she rebelled against the inhumane working conditions, she was intimidated, threatened, physically attacked and imprisoned. Nevertheless, she continued to fight for her rights and those of her colleagues.
Today, Kalpona is one of the best-known human rights activists in the fashion industry worldwide. We support Kalpona's labour rights organization BCWS in Bangladesh.

Our goals

By forwarding donations to selected partner organisations, we help to ensure that textile workers receive concrete help and support on site.

This is what we want to achieve:

Training and counselling women and girls to enable them to know and stand up for their rights.
Strengthening the representation of the workers' interests so that they can make a lasting commitment to improve the living situation of textile workers.
Providing legal assistance in labour laws issues to workers so that they can defend themselves against violations of the laws.
Organising protests, campaigns and demonstrations to pressure politics and businesses to improve working conditions.

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This documentation was supported by Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein-Westfalen and ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL im Auftrag des Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung.

Our activities and measures

Rechtshilfe

Courage alone is not enough: Funding legal aid, claiming compensation

In order to enforce their rights or sue, workers need legal advice from experts and financial support to cover the costs of legal proceedings.

Legal assistance…

Workers need a lobby: support organisations structurally

Unsere Partnerorganisationen unterstützen Arbeiter*innen darin, sich gewerkschaftlich zu organisieren und bieten ihnen bei akuten Problemen eine Anlaufstelle.

Structural support...

#Against violence to seamstresses: Strengthen women, create structures

Our partner organisations inform women about their rights, offer contact points and promote dialogue with politicians, textile companies, factory owners and trade unions.

Working in the field to counter violence...