Just noticing: “Observations Of A Blogger”
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 5th, 2013
Good morning.
“Just noticing…”
…If we keep demanding cheaper prices on the clothing that we buy…if we keep supporting stores such as Walmart, Target, Primark, Matalan and Mango, etc., we are having a direct effect on the livelihood of women garment workers. Team that up with a factory owner who cares more about his bottom line than the safety and well-being of his workers, and you get a catastrophe such as the recent one in Bangladesh.
BANGLADESH: Corruption harms women garment workers in building collapse
(WNN) Dhaka, BANGLADESH, SOUTH ASIA: In a city where work comes hard, the often grueling work of a woman garment workers, including migrant garment workers, in Dhaka can be filled with unseen danger. In the past 7 months the Tazreen Fashions building trapped mostly women textile workers as doors were locked shut killing 100 of the women who could not escape when fire broke out. The most recent danger in a different 8 story Rana Plaza Building collapse has killed over 380 garment workers in what has been described as the worst industrial accident for workers throughout Bangladesh. Over 2,220 people have been trapped in the rubble with injuries flooding medical facilities.
Rescue efforts for the survivors have been overwhelming and difficult as substandard equipment was the only equipment available and fire broke out during the recent rescue efforts out causing more deaths. Hopes for finding anyone else alive has at this point grown slim says the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Following his arraignment, the owner of the collapsed multi-floor building, Mohammed Sohel Rana, left the courtroom in Dhaka yesterday on his way to jail after receiving charges surrounding corruption with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to work under duress. To protect him from an intensifying protesting crowd Sohel Rana wore a police riot helmet and a bulletproof vest as he left the court and walked to a vehicle on his way to jail under police escort. He is one of 8 other people connected to the daily operations of the Rana garment factory who were arrested after the dramatic collapse of the building took place.
Ignoring earlier warnings by inspectors that the illegal building housing thousands of garment workers was unsafe, critical cracks in the structure were discovered and reported by inspectors. But no direct action nor response followup ever happened.
Human rights advocates call the act an industry-wide endangerment and abuse of workers, as well as a government oversight.
“Reforms should include a drastic overhaul of the government’s system of labor inspections and an end to government efforts to thwart the right of workers to unionize,” said Human Rights Watch.
In an Bangladesh industry that has brought in almost 9 Billion dollars, today’s average pay for a women garment worker is $38 (USD) per month. Long hours, that can include unsafe 24 hour work cycles, along with few breaks and other work allowances have been found.
“All the factory buildings visited except one are over-crowded, congested and poorly ventilated. The floor space per worker is small and stairways are narrow. In one factory, bundles of cloth and cartons were found on the staircases,” outlined Dhaka University associate professor and researcher Momtaz Jahan. “The workers work under hundreds of powerful electric bulbs for the whole time of their work. It was observed that, the sound of the operation of 100-200 sewing machines in the same work floor exposed the workers to high noise that exceeded tolerable level.”
Other sharp criticism of officials at top levels in the Bangladesh government include their refusal to allow an international rescue country teams to go in and assist immediately when the collapse occurred as United Nations sponsored INSARAG -International Search and Rescue Advisory Group was turned away.
In an area especially prone to earthquakes it is thought that government officials, as well as building owners, have looked the other way on enforcing building codes for a long time that might otherwise have saved lives. In 2012 only 18 government inspectors had been issued to work to inspect approximately 100,000 factory buildings in Dhaka outlines Human Rights Watch.
“This company [Rana Plaza Factory] has to take action immediately to support the families of the people who were killed and injured,” said London based advocates War on Want Campaign and Policy Director Ruth Tanner, who was in Dhaka on the scene.
As giant retailers juggle a history of buying from Bangladesh companies like U.K. based clothing distributor Primark, along with The Gap, Walmart and subsidiaries under The Gap like Banana Republic and Old Navy, no corporations to date have been implicated with any direct connection to the Rana Plaza Factory operations.
Canada based child clothing distributors Loblaw as well as Primark have recently made statements promising that families of the catastrophe will be receiving financial assistance through their corporate channels, especially children who have become orphans.
Because of an increasing rate of garment worker deaths affecting hundreds of women as well as men, the corporate clothing push is now on for greater managed transparency and integrity with partnerships for Bangladeshi manufacturing practices and conditions.
But management efforts against corruption in Bangladesh have a long way to go say global advocates for women garment workers.
In a recent public release The Gap said it did not have any connection to the Rana Plaza operations. Last month the corporation pledged 33 Million to improve safety with inspectors to its facilities by hiring independent contractors working in Bangladesh. Walmart is doing the same with 1.8 Million that is now going for factory safety management.
“Given the long record of worker deaths in factories, this tragedy was sadly predictable,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch recently. “The government, local factory owners, and the international garment industry pay workers among the world’s lowest wages, but didn’t have the decency to ensure safe conditions for the people who put clothes on the backs of people all over the world,” he continued.
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Readers: We all purchase many things – Can we try to buy with a conscious? Thoughts? What are you “just noticing?” Blog me.
Irene: Yes, you are so correct. I was only looking at the positive side but of course it does go both ways, and unfortunately you gave two great examples of how an organized minority can manipulate the unorganized majority. Thanks for pointing those out.
Naji: If only love could bring peace, but we know better don’t we.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Peace & Love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 5th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Hafa adai. Those of you on the mainland who do not know what happening on the island. Guam soldiers take over duties in Afghanistan.
The Guam Army National Guard’s 1st of the 294th Infantry Regiment formally took control of a vital security force mission during a ceremony at Camp Eggers, in the Afghanistan capital Wednesday.
Known as the “Transfer of Authority”, the Guam Army National Guard battalion will operate as Task Force Guam with its nearly 600 soldiers spread out in units located at key locations throughout Afghanistan. It replaces Task Force Centurion Prime, the Alabama National Guard’s 1st of the 167th Infantry, which had a similar mission throughout Afghanistan for the past nine months.
Lt. Col. Michael Tougher, battalion commander of Task Force Guam, said soldiers of the Chamorri battalion have been preparing nearly two years for this deployment, and are ready to take this mission from Task Force Centurion Prime.
“Task Force Guam is very lucky to have the benefit of relieving such an outstanding and professional organization as the 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry. Lt. Col. Bass, his leaders and soldiers, have set the conditions to ensure that my battalion is well positioned to assume responsibility for our mission in support of the NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan. We will not give up any ground already gained by the Fourth Alabama and we will endeavor to ensure the continued progress of this mission. TF Guam is prepared, ready and willing to meet any challenges we will face in this regard,” Tougher said.
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Let’s pray for their safe return.
Peter
The Guam battalion’s deployment preparation included a couple of annual training missions at Camp Roberts, Calif., in May and October 2012 with the assistance of the California National Guard, and members of the 1-196th IN BDE, as the Pre-mobilization Training Assistance Element. This was followed by mobilization training at the Camp Shelby Joint Force Training Center, MS, prior to the deployment into Afghanistan in mid-April.
Before the transfer of authority, soldiers from the seven companies that make up Task Force Guam, conducted a “right seat ride” for several days with their Task Force Centurion Prime counterparts to learn about the areas they are operating in, and the lessons learned in conducting the missions. Once that was complete, the companies held their own TOA ceremonies leading up to the Task Force TOA.
May 5th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Zen Lill, so when are the pictures coming? I am so looking forward to seeing my beautiful defender. Oh and to show that you do know what you are talking about when you suggested that women cheat as much as men.
http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/women-cheat-to-win-517515650
May 5th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
I checked out that link, Cliff, I like this one better. http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/husband-dies-after-rape-by-6-wives-517426893
May 5th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I liked this one better. http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/wife-kills-husband-for-not-showering-517410822
May 6th, 2013 at 8:41 am
Walmart’s $443 billion in sales last year has enabled it to displace Exxon as the number one company in the world.
You hypocrites in America are responsible for the deaths of those women. While the headlines throw horror in your faces, you americans pretend to care and say ban Walmart.
But by next week, you americans will be in that store buying your summer lineup.
Hadia
May 6th, 2013 at 8:44 am
Greed killed them. The greed of the american companies and the greed of the men in our country who exploit women at every opportunity.
May 6th, 2013 at 8:49 am
Americans are so self absorbed as to not recognized that their actions will be the death of them. They have added me to the list of Hindi who will look the other way when Islamic terrorists hide among us to do americans harm.
Americans do not care what they do to us, why should I care who do what to them.
Lakshmi
May 6th, 2013 at 9:04 am
Like BPA, BPS Turns Paper Receipts Toxic
After bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in food cans and plastic containers, was linked to numerous health problems, many manufacturers replaced it with bisphenol S (BPS), a similar yet supposedly safer chemical.
But new research reveals that BPS, like its notorious chemical “cousin,” messes with our hormones—even at very low levels of exposure. And this poison is in paper products that we touch every day.
BPA’s estrogen-like effects are thought to be to blame for its links to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, reproductive problems and cancer. Both men and women are affected by estrogen, so this is an issue for every person, not only for women.
More Info on BPA and BPS
Toxic Toilet Paper?
You’ve Got It
BPA Is Particularly Bad News
For These Women
Study scoop:
Researchers set out to see whether BPS presented dangers similar to those of BPA by testing its impact on rat cells. They looked at the effects of BPS on estrogen receptors, the parts of a cell’s membrane that respond to estrogen.
Specifically, they studied how BPS affects proteins that help control cell growth and cell death (cell behaviors involved in cancer). They also looked at how those proteins affect the release of the hormone prolactin, which stimulates breast milk production in women. Increases in prolactin can suppress testosterone and decrease libido in men and women.
It’s a very technical study, but the bottom line is that, yes, BPS does interfere with cell growth and cell death—and it does so even at the small levels that humans are now routinely exposed to day-to-day.
As for prolactin, while BPS did not cause prolactin release to the same extent as BPA, it did dramatically interfere with natural estrogen’s functioning—in a way that could lead to a variety of problems for both women and men, including electrolyte imbalance (which can affect heart, nerve and muscle function), behavioral disturbances and problems with reproduction.
Now, this was a laboratory study, so it doesn’t prove beyond a doubt that BPS causes cancer, heart problems, infertility and other health problems in humans. But why take unnecessary risks?
SELF-DEFENSE AGAINST BPS
BPS is less likely than BPA to leach from containers into the foods we eat because BPS has stronger bonds. However, BPS is now used in thermal paper, such as the type used to print cash register receipts, library book checkout receipts, and ultrasound results and other medical machine printouts.
When we touch such paper, BPS can enter our bodies via hand-to-mouth contact. Worse, the chemical can be absorbed through our skin—in fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BPS is up to 19 times more absorbable by the skin than BPA!
Best: Limit your contact with these paper products. Either refuse to accept them (for instance, you can ask the cashier to throw away your receipt)…or have them placed directly into a shopping bag and, once you reach home, put on gloves before filing or discarding the papers.
If your job requires you to handle thermal paper, wear protective gloves (such as latex or another thin material) while you work. If you must touch thermal paper with your bare hands, wash your hands as soon as possible to try to limit BPS absorption—and in the meantime, keep your fingers away from your mouth.
More info on BPA and BPS: Read Toxic Toilet Paper? You’ve Got It …and BPA Is Particularly Bad News for These Women.
Source: Cheryl S. Watson, PhD, professor, department of biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. Her article was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
May 6th, 2013 at 9:27 am
I believe Benetton, Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Wal-Mart, Children’s Place, Dress Barn, Jc Penney, and a Canadian Company- Joe Fresh. Of course alot of these retailers are saying that they did not have suppliers in the factory, but nearby….. doesn’t change the fact that we are wearing clothes made in these countries that treat workers horribly and force unsafe conditions.
Every company that has suppliers overseas that produce clothing in these factories should pay the cost of keeping these buildings up to code and keeping workers safe. But they decided it was too expensive and decided at International Labor Organization meetings to let each country control the issues themselves. Which is a travesty. Nothing is more important then profit.
May 6th, 2013 at 9:30 am
US building explosion and multiple deaths: nobody arrested? Owner’s name not released to public, no action taken? Bangladesh 1, US 0
May 6th, 2013 at 9:33 am
Michelle, I open your blog every day to see your beautiful picture smiling up at me. I like to think it is just for me.
May 6th, 2013 at 9:43 am
Michelle, I would love to meet you too. I have accepted a job at a law firm in Berkeley to come to the Bay area to live. I want to have an opportunity to meet you. I have been a fan for 4 years. Now that you are single, I would like to meet you.
I would never stalk you. I hope you will be interested in meeting a 29 year old corporate attorney.
Arlene