Nazma Akter on Mistreatment of Women Workers in the Supply Chain

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Nazma Akter started work at a garment factory in Bangladesh at 11. She began organising her colleagues and protesting against injustice at 14, and today leads AWAJ Foundation, a Bangladeshi organisation that promotes workers' welfare. She is also founder and president of Sommilito Garment Sramik Federation, an affiliated union with over 70,000 garment workers as members, and an alternate for IndustriALL, a global union.

In this podcast, Nazma talks to IHRB's Salil Tripathi about the lack of respect for women's rights in the supply chain. Both brands and consumers take advantage of the lack of political and social structure in manufacturing countries, at the expense of women. She notes progress in the conduct of many companies, particularly after a series of major accidents in Bangladeshi factories, but much remains to be done. Both attitudinal change and stricter enforcement of laws are necessary to bring about change, she says. Only a system that recognises women's rights will enable their empowerment.

This podcast is part of a mini-series dedicated to the theme of business, equality, and non-discrimination, to mark International Women's Day on 8 March 2018 and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 2018.