Experts have called for gender-sensitive policies and stronger protection measures to address chemical risks in Bangladesh's textile sector, ensure occupational health and safety for women workers, and increase their participation in workplace decision-making.
They said that to ensure chemical safety, women workers must have suitable personal protective equipment, safety training, reproductive health protection, and risk assessment systems.
They made the remarks today (12 October) at the "National Stakeholders' Consultation on the Gender Action Plan in the Textile Sector," held in Dhaka and organised by ESDO, the Department of Environment, and project partners.
The meeting, which was held under the project "Reducing Usage and Releases of Chemicals of Concern, Including POPs, in the Textiles Sector," presented the findings of the national gender assessment and the draft National Gender Action Plan. POP refers to Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Speaking as chief guest Md. Saidur Rahman, additional secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said: "The Environment Conservation Rules 2023 set standards for 15 chemicals across 13 industrial sectors, including textile dyeing and washing. Our aim is not merely to enforce the law, but to work jointly with industry to reduce chemical use."
He added: "To protect the Turag, Shitalakshya, and Buriganga rivers from dyeing and washing effluent pollution, we urge the Department of Environment to insist that both biological and chemical effluent treatment plants (ETPs) be kept in operation."
In his welcome address, Kazi Sumon, deputy director of the Department of Environment and National Focal Point, said: "The main goal of this regional project, being implemented in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam, is to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in the textile sector. As part of this, chemical inventories are being prepared at 125 factories, and alongside the necessary capacity building, two factories have started using alternative, safer materials. Although women make up nearly half of the textile workforce, they face greater exposure to chemical risks."
Regional gender expert Dr. Khandaker Golam Moazzem said: "According to data collected from 25 textile mills in Bangladesh, women make up 48.5% of the workforce. Yet their presence is very low in critical areas such as dyeing and washing (wet processing) and in supervisory or management roles."
National Project Coordinator Dr. Mahfuzul Haque said: "More than 3 million workers are employed in Bangladesh's textile sector, a large share of them women. They are exposed to various hazardous chemicals and POPs, which multiple studies have shown to be harmful to the reproductive health of both women and men."
Anton Purnomo, director of BCRC-SEA in Indonesia, said: "Our goal is to reach 10,000 direct beneficiaries across the region, 60% of whom will be women. Our three main priorities are gender-sensitive occupational health and chemical safety, increasing women's participation and opportunities, and implementing sustainable measures with clear targets and timelines."