Vulnerabilities of Women Workers in the Readymade Garment Sector of Bangladesh: A Case Study of Rana Plaza

The Bangladeshi readymade garment (RMG) sector is an important feature of the country’s economic development, as it is the highest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Bangladesh. This industry initiated a revolution in the employment sector particularly through involving women in the workplace, in a culture where employment of women remains rare. While offering new opportunities to women, this sector has failed to ensure a secure and safe working environment for female employees. Consequently, women workers are vulnerable to multiple hazards, frequent disasters, and adverse occupational health outcomes. These vulnerabilities have become a prime concern for national and international communities, particularly highlighted by the devastation of the Rana Plaza factory collapse on 24 April 2013. Within this context, this paper focuses on the existing nature of vulnerabilities produced from the routine work, as is required for women employed in the RMG sector. The study primarily draws on first-hand interviews with women who had direct work-related experiences with the Rana Plaza disaster. The findings suggest that the politicization of the RMG sector, the power of political forces, and factory owner’s tendency toward primitive accumulation (theorized as more money through less investment), are primarily responsible for this unprecedented disaster in the garment sector of Bangladesh. At an individual level, Rana Plaza survivors are still reeling from the disaster and in the absence of political will and social support, are deeply vulnerable to further morbidity and mortality related to this workplace disaster

Gender-based vulnerabilities for women during natural disasters in Bangladesh

IntroductionFactors that negatively impact women's disaster experiences include poor disaster preparedness, lack of access to a safe place, displacement worries, distance from shelters, risk of abuse in shelters, poverty, and low cultural position of women in rural Bangladesh. This study aimed to give voice to women who experienced gender-based vulnerabilities during natural disasters.MethodsThe research was conducted with women in the two disaster-prone areas utilizing a qualitative approach. Women, aged 18 years or above, who were permanent residents of the selected disaster-prone areas and have experienced one or more disasters, were invited to participate in the study. Twenty-four women volunteered to participate. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interview recordings containing questions on sociodemographic characteristics and open-ended questions to assess gender-based vulnerabilities during disasters; data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques.ResultsOne main theme and six sub-themes emerged from the analysis. Women were often in the middle of making life choices between the risk of being abused and death in disasters. Shelters lacked privacy, heightened the risk of abuse, and women faced social stigma if displaced from their homes during a disaster. The women also experienced health risks because of inadequate hygiene and poor living arrangements such as a lack of adequate shelters, toilet facilities, and secure gender-segregated living arrangements if relocation was essential during a disaster.DiscussionFindings from this study provide guidance to policymakers and disaster aid organizations on disaster preparedness and post-disaster facilities to address the socio-cultural needs of rural women in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh

Women's health-related vulnerabilities in natural disasters: a systematic review protocol

Introduction: There is a paucity of evidence identifying both the physical and psychological health risks and underlying causes of women’s health-related vulnerabilities related to natural disasters. Therefore, this systematic review will be conducted to determine the impact of natural disasters on women’s health from a global perspective. Methods and analysis: Five electronic databases of health research, including ProQuest, ProQuest Health and Medicine, PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL, will be searched to retrieve relevant literature where Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords will be used depending on the search method of each database. Google Scholar will also be searched for preliminary information on the topic and to check for further evidence that may have been missed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria will be developed and refined by the research team. We will restrict our search for empirical full-text articles published in the English language peer-reviewed journals between July 2008 and June 2018 to ensure contemporary evidence is retrieved. Two authors will participate in each step in the process, including title, abstract and full-text screening against inclusion criteria, data extraction and quality appraisal. The quality of selected studies will be assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Data synthesis will follow a sequential explanatory approach. Finally, the quantitative and qualitative findings will be merged under themes and described using a narrative approach. Ethics and dissemination: Formal ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The results will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal and presented at national and international conferences

Women's health-related vulnerabilities in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction Global climate change has produced growing natural disasters across the world especially in Global South. Different countries experience varied vulnerabilities depending on their geographical location, economic status and ability of management. In a highly disaster susceptible developing country like Bangladesh, many individuals experience a greater rate of natural disasters with devastating health effects. Compare with men, women have a higher incidence of mortality and health effects following natural disasters. The study aims to explore women’s experience of physical and psychological health vulnerabilities with primary causes in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh.Methods and analysis This is an exploratory mixed-method study comprising survey and in-depth interviews with equal priority to identify physical and psychological health vulnerabilities of women living in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh. Quantitative data will be collected using self-administered sociodemographic and perceived severity instrument, 12-item Short-Form, Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Brief Coping Scale, while specific open-ended guidelines will be used for the qualitative part. The instruments will be translated into Bangla following the Brislin (1970) model of translation. The survey will be administered in paper copies, with at least 384 respondents, whereas 30 participants will be in-depth interviewed using an audio recorder. Survey data will be analysed using SPSS V.25 following descriptive and inferential statistics as required. The recorded open-ended responses will be transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Finally, both data sets will be integrated and synthesised according to the sequential mixed-method approach.Ethics and dissemination The study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of New England. The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, the internet and various community engagement activities

Women’s health-related vulnerabilities in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction Global climate change has produced growing natural disasters across the world especially in Global South. Different countries experience varied vulnerabilities depending on their geographical location, economic status and ability of management. In a highly disaster susceptible developing country like Bangladesh, many individuals experience a greater rate of natural disasters with devastating health effects. Compare with men, women have a higher incidence of mortality and health effects following natural disasters. The study aims to explore women’s experience of physical and psychological health vulnerabilities with primary causes in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh.Methods and analysis This is an exploratory mixed-method study comprising survey and in-depth interviews with equal priority to identify physical and psychological health vulnerabilities of women living in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh. Quantitative data will be collected using self-administered sociodemographic and perceived severity instrument, 12-item Short-Form, Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Brief Coping Scale, while specific open-ended guidelines will be used for the qualitative part. The instruments will be translated into Bangla following the Brislin (1970) model of translation. The survey will be administered in paper copies, with at least 384 respondents, whereas 30 participants will be in-depth interviewed using an audio recorder. Survey data will be analysed using SPSS V.25 following descriptive and inferential statistics as required. The recorded open-ended responses will be transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Finally, both data sets will be integrated and synthesised according to the sequential mixed-method approach.Ethics and dissemination The study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of New England. The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, the internet and various community engagement activities

The urgency of equality: discrimination against women in a disaster affected area of Bangladesh

This study aimed to bring into focus the problems and discriminations (such as gender biased activities in relief goods allocation, lack of privacy and sexual harassment) experienced by women in the disaster affected area in Bangladesh. The investigation also demonstrates the way out to make women prepared in advance for facing disasters and emergency situations. A mixed method approach was followed for data collection. For the quantitative part, 52 disaster affected women from Motlob Thana under the District of Chandpur (one of the most disaster affected area of Bangladesh) were selected. Purposive sampling procedure was used under the survey method. In addition, five female respondents were purposively selected for in-depth interviewing. Findings show that women are greatly discriminated, as 82% of them sacrifice food for their family members, in the disaster affected area. However, most of them do not realize that they are discriminated. The results also demonstrate that 72% of the study populations are discriminated during disaster period because of being women. For example, women have to bring the relief goods by themselves (i.e. husbands found reluctant to do this) and 53% of them face sexual harassment while living in the shelter homes and under the open sky. The study suggests that the patriarchal attitude of the husbands of the respondents and the government and Nongovernment agencies are liable for the discrimination in the disaster affected area

Domestic violence against women has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic: A perspective paper about the need for change to current and future practice

The COVID-19 outbreak led to widespread disruption and stress to people's lives. Concern about the escalation of domestic violence (DV) rates and related mental health issues soon emerged following the implementation of strategies aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. This perspective paper presents an overview of the issues, argues for greater recognition of the link between DV against women and serious emotional distress, and the need for greater awareness and knowledge about DV among mental health professionals. While we acknowledge that men also experience DV, their rates are much lower than for women and in this paper our focus is on women

Gender-based vulnerabilities for women during natural disasters in Bangladesh

Introduction: Factors that negatively impact women's disaster experiences include poor disaster preparedness, lack of access to a safe place, displacement worries, distance from shelters, risk of abuse in shelters, poverty, and low cultural position of women in rural Bangladesh. This study aimed to give voice to women who experienced gender-based vulnerabilities during natural disasters. Methods: The research was conducted with women in the two disaster-prone areas utilizing a qualitative approach. Women, aged 18 years or above, who were permanent residents of the selected disaster-prone areas and have experienced one or more disasters, were invited to participate in the study. Twenty-four women volunteered to participate. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interview recordings containing questions on sociodemographic characteristics and open-ended questions to assess gender-based vulnerabilities during disasters" data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. Results: One main theme and six sub-themes emerged from the analysis. Women were often in the middle of making life choices between the risk of being abused and death in disasters. Shelters lacked privacy, heightened the risk of abuse, and women faced social stigma if displaced from their homes during a disaster. The women also experienced health risks because of inadequate hygiene and poor living arrangements such as a lack of adequate shelters, toilet facilities, and secure gender-segregated living arrangements if relocation was essential during a disaster. Discussion: Findings from this study provide guidance to policymakers and disaster aid organizations on disaster preparedness and post-disaster facilities to address the socio-cultural needs of rural women in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh

Health Impact and Risk Factors Affecting South and Southeast Asian Women Following Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Following natural disasters, women have a higher prevalence of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Given that the South and Southeast Asia regions are highly disaster prone, a review was undertaken to identify the potential health impact and key risk factors affecting women after disasters in the countries located in South and Southeast Asia regions. (2) Methods: A systematic literature search of four databases yielded 16 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidance, between July 2008 and March 2021. (3) Results: The majority of studies reported women’s negative/poor mental health, identifying a significant association of socio-demographics, during disaster exposure, post-disaster, and pre-existing risk factors. The six most-cited influences on women’s mental health found in the reviewed literature were being female, adult age group, having no formal education, poverty or low economic status, poor physical health/physical injuries, and death of family members. Women’s health during the post-disaster period was generally reported as poor among all the countries of the South and Southeast Asia regions. (4) Conclusions: Appropriate social support and the availability of free healthcare access for women are warranted in disaster-affected areas. This review offers a valuable contribution to the knowledge of women’s health complications/challenges and associated risk factors related to disasters, essential for the development of strategies to help reduce this burden in the future. Further research is required on natural disasters to identify ways to reduce women’s health impacts after natural disasters, especially in the context of low-income and lower-middle-income countries

Health Impact and Risk Factors Affecting South and Southeast Asian Women Following Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Following natural disasters, women have a higher prevalence of adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Given that the South and Southeast Asia regions are highly disaster prone, a review was undertaken to identify the potential health impact and key risk factors affecting women after disasters in the countries located in South and Southeast Asia regions. (2) Methods: A systematic literature search of four databases yielded 16 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidance, between July 2008 and March 2021. (3) Results: The majority of studies reported women's negative/poor mental health, identifying a significant association of socio-demographics, during disaster exposure, post-disaster, and pre-existing risk factors. The six most-cited influences on women's mental health found in the reviewed literature were being female, adult age group, having no formal education, poverty or low economic status, poor physical health/physical injuries, and death of family members. Women's health during the post-disaster period was generally reported as poor among all the countries of the South and Southeast Asia regions. (4) Conclusions: Appropriate social support and the availability of free healthcare access for women are warranted in disaster-affected areas. This review offers a valuable contribution to the knowledge of women's health complications/challenges and associated risk factors related to disasters, essential for the development of strategies to help reduce this burden in the future. Further research is required on natural disasters to identify ways to reduce women's health impacts after natural disasters, especially in the context of low-income and lower-middle-income countries