Women's health
Women represent roughly 80% of the global workforce in garment manufacturing, and these jobs create important opportunities for poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment. However, women in developing countries often suffer from anaemia, poor hygiene, inadequate pre- and post-natal care and exposure to infections and illness.
In Bangladesh, Primark is proud to have partnered with BSR* and the Awaj Foundation* on the BSR HERproject (Health Enables Returns) initiative, to provide health care education for women.
The HERproject results
To date, the programme has provided education in the form of training and awareness workshops to almost 4494 factory workers on hygiene, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and nutrition.
The workshops were delivered by 325 ‘peer educators’ – these are factory workers who are selected for the role of trainers. The idea is simple – that women train other women on their health needs, and help support each other in their learning and understanding.
The benefits of the programme include increased women’s health awareness and knowledge of where to access services when they need them such as visiting local hospitals and clinics. There is also a high ‘empowerment’ impact – women are seen as leaders in their community; and within the factory, overall communication improves, not just on health matters.
The HERproject around the world
Women’s health programs impact health awareness: at factories in Mexico, Pakistan, and Vietnam, women’s knowledge of hepatitis B increased by an average of 33 percent.
Women’s health programs increase worker productivity: in Pakistan, women reported a 25 percent reduction in poor concentration at work, 28 percent lower absenteeism and 33 percent less difficulty in meeting production targets.
Women’s health programs enhance worker-manager relations: according to a survey conducted for the report in China, 29 factory managers interviewed in three factories said they thought HERproject could improve the relationship between factory managers and workers.
“Not only has HERproject given women the knowledge to improve their health behaviour, it has empowered them to seek leadership roles in their jobs and their communities,” said HERproject Manager Racheal Yeager. “The peer-to-peer model — with women teaching each other about women’s health — has given them the confidence to go against the grain in regions where the traditional role for women is not as strong.”
“Through BSR`s HERproject programs in China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Vietnam, and soon Bangladesh, we have found several common (and preventable) health issues shared by women working in manufacturing supply chains: anaemia, reproductive tract infections, and unsafe sexual activities. Often these problems stem from a lack of information; once awareness begins to grow, linking these women to the services they need becomes much easier. And since women share this knowledge with others the impact is even greater.”
The business benefits of investing in women’s health can be just as great, with companies reporting reduced absenteeism, higher worker productivity and enhanced worker-manager relations.
Women in one HERproject factory in Pakistan improved their feminine hygiene, including 33 percent who have begun using sanitary napkins. As a result of these changes, female workers reported a 25 percent reduction in poor concentration at work, 28 percent less absenteeism related to menstruation and 33 percent less difficulty in meeting production targets. Overall, reported absenteeism was 11 percent lower, with a 24 percent reduction in the mean number of days absent. Initial return-on-investment analysis has confirmed that women in the factory worked an average of 2.5 more hours per month during the project period, representing an additional 615 days of work per year.
Why Bangladesh?
The BSR Health Needs Assessment in Bangladesh pointed towards these key facts. Read the full report here.
Women represent 85% of the total 2.4 million employees in the ready-made-garment industry in Bangladesh.
Female workers in Bangladesh tend to have very little education as they drop out of school early to help support their families and some are illiterate.
The WHO calls anaemia a ‘severe’ public health problem in Bangladesh.
Women in Bangladesh are more malnourished than men at every stage of life.
Women workers who use family planning products often misuse them due to lack of awareness.
Very few women consult doctors for general or reproductive ailments, increasing frequently occurring urinary tract infections and reproductive tract infections.
Women tend to be unaware of their reproductive rights including maternity leave, factory child-care facilities, nursing breaks and hygienic toilet facilities.
Workers lack basic understanding of HIV transmission, treatment and how to prevent infection. Women often feel helpless against being infected by their husband if he should contract AIDS or any other STI.
Knowledge is very limited about the symptoms and prevention of other STIs, including Hepatitis B&C, gonorrhoea and syphilis.
Female workers have very limited understanding of occupational health and shyness and fear of being reprimanded often prevent them from alerting supervisors to safety hazards.
Women in Bangladesh mostly use cloth torn from old saris to absorb menstrual blood. These clothes are reused, often without being washed or dried properly, which results in infections and cause extreme discomfort.
The majority of women have no idea about reproductive organs or how the reproductive system works. Many female workers reported suffering from post-birth complications including fistula and prolepses.
Few factories have referral programs, for example, where the factory has a contractual relationship with a local clinic to send its workers in case of emergencies.
Partners
Awaj Foundation is a workers' rights organization that has been working with workers' rights issues, giving awareness and capacity building training, legal aid on family and labour law and health care to garment workers in Bangladesh since 2003.
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
A leader in corporate responsibility since 1992, BSR works with its global network of over 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research and cross-sector collaboration. With offices in Asia, Europe and North America, BSR uses its expertise in environment, human rights, economic development, and governance and accountability to guide global companies towards creating a just and sustainable world.