e_Paper 24-04-2017

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2 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 DT News Husbands’ greed crushes Rana Plaza survivors • Adil Sakhawat For Rokhsana Akhter, the trauma of having survived the Rana Plaza collapse became bearable when she found her loving husband constantly by her side. Tofazzal Hossain, a day labourer by profession, cared for Rokhsana when she was recovering in the hospital, tending to her needs day and night. “Having returned from the brink of death, I thought I would be all right because I had such a loving, caring husband with me,” said Rokhsana. But soon she realised that she mistook greed for love. “My husband’s care stemmed from the fact that I was going to get a lot of money in compensation, not his love for me.” Several Rana Plaza survivors have experienced the same betrayal as Rokhsana; the true face of their husbands or loved ones came out after the compensation money stopped coming. Rana Plaza survivors – especially those who suffered amputation – received compensation and donations from the government as well as different individual donors and organisations. The compensation – a handsome amount of money – was aimed at giving a head start to the survivors for putting their lives back on track with the help of their families. Instead, some women were not only abandoned by their husbands when they needed them the most, but were also cheated – in some cases, forced – out of their money by them. “You might have seen men frantically looking for their RMG worker wives in the debris of Rana Plaza four years ago,” said Kazi Monir Hossain, coordinator of Shongkolon Bangladesh, a foundation working on the rehabilitation of Rana Plaza survivors. “Some of these men, seemingly worried about their wives’ well-being, were quick to realise that their wives were going to get a fat sum of money for compensation. So they played the role of a concerned husband and practically stole these women’s money – their means to get back on their feet – from them.” Rana Plaza, an eight-storey building in Savar, Dhaka that housed five RMG factories – collapsed on the morning of April 24, 2013. The accident – the worst industrial disaster in the history of Bangladesh – killed 1,135 people and injured more than 2,500 others, most of whom were Lavli Akhter (left) and Rikta Akhter RMG workers. According to Shongkolon Bangladesh, 98 of the survivors suffered amputation, 75 of whom were women. Rokhsana, who was a worker of New Wave Style Ltd, an RMG factory on the seventh floor of the building, lost her right leg in the incident. She was treated at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) in Dhaka for a month. “You have no idea how caring he was when I was in the hospital,” Rokhsana said. “I was lucky to receive a lot of monetary help at that time, and he handled all of it.” She said she received around Tk27 lakh in compensation – including the prime minister’s savings certificate worth Tk10 lakh and Tk8 lakh in donation from different people and organisations.” “After I was released from hospital, my husband’s attitude changed overnight. He became distant,” Rokhsana told this reporter, her eyes wet. “He told me: ‘You are disabled. I feel embarrassed to be seen with you in public.’” The verbal abuse – and sometimes physical – went on for a while. A year after the incident, Tofazzal sent his wife of three years to her village home, while she was four months pregnant with their daughter, and severed all contacts. “A lot of good souls helped me out with money, but my husband My husband’s care stemmed from the fact that I was going to get a lot of money in compensation, not his love for me kept most of it.” Even when their daughter was born, Tofazzal did not visit Rokhsana in her village, nor did he show any affection for his child, she said. Tragedy hit Rokhsana once more when her seven-month-old daughter passed away after suffering from pneumonia for three days. When she contacted Tofazzal, he said: “It is better this way. A disabled person like you would not have been able to raise her properly.” Three days later, he sent her a divorce notice. “I just wish my daughter was still here,” said Rokhsana, crying. “I wish I could see her smiling face.” Despite the heart-break she suffered, Rokhsana has started working again to get back on her feet. The 25-year-old has set up a loom at her village home in Chapainawabganj using Tk90,000 compensation from Brac. “I am thankful to the government and Brac for their help,” she said. Rikta Akhter, mother of two children, was left by her husband Morsalin eight months ago and now lives with her parents in Gaibandha. “I received Tk20 lakh in compensation as I lost my right hand in the incident,” said Rikta, who was a senior operator at Phantom Apparels Ltd on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza. Rikta and her husband, a driver, had become quite well-known as they were interviewed by different Depositions for Rana Plaza cases yet to begin • Md Sanaul Islam Tipu MEHEDI HASAN AND ADIL SHAKHAWAT give him a good future,” she said. • media outlets at the time. “I could not believe it when my husband, who was so caring, suddenly became abusive,” she said. The reason: he wanted her money. “He took half of the money and left us. I heard he got married,” she said. “Now I only have the interest generated from the prime minister’s savings certificate of Tk12 lakh I received to get by. I do not know how I am going to pay for my children’s education,” she said. The betrayal that Lavli Akhter suffered was slightly different. Lavli worked on the seventh floor of Rana Plaza, while her mother worked on the eighth floor. “Both of us were lucky to survive the horrible collapse, but only my mother was lucky in marriage,” she said. “My father did not leave her and took care of her until she got better.” Unlike Rokhsana and Rikta, Lavli did not suffer any amputation, but recovering from such an ordeal was a long process. Then she met Atiqur, a mason by profession. “Atiqur convinced my parents and me that he loved me and would take care of me for the rest of my life.” They got married in 2014. “As soon as we got married, he got more interested in my compensation than in me. I gave all of it to him, yet he suspected that I was hiding more money. He never cared about the pain I had or my mental condition – all he cared about was money.” Once Atiqur realised that Lavli had no more money left, he left her. Their son had been born by then. “He married again,” Lavli said. Lavli is working in another RMG factory in Savar. Her son lives with her parents in Gaibandha. “All I want now is to take care of my son and Four years have elapsed since the Rana Plaza building collapse, but there is no significant progress in the trial proceedings in the two cases filed over the country’s deadliest industrial disaster. Two separate Dhaka courts framed charges against 42 accused including building owner Sohel Rana in two cases, but the courts are yet to start recording statements of witnesses in the cases. The murder case filed for the deaths of workers is pending with Dhaka District and Sessions Judges Court due to various complications. On July 18 last year, the court framed charges against 41 accused including Sohel Rana in the case. Afterward, the court fixed four dates- on September 8, November 17, January 22 and February 26 – to start recording statements of witnesses. But process has so far been blocked by various time petitions from both the defence and the prosecution. Public Prosecutor Khandaker Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune: “There are some complications that have been causing a delay in starting the recording of depositions.” He said the High Court had stayed trial proceedings against seven accused in the case. “Now we are waiting for suggestions from the attorney general to conduct the trial against the rest of the accused,” he said. Savar police station is not submitting a report on accused Abu Bakar Siddique who died recently, adding to the delay, he added. Of the accused: Sohel Rana, Rafiquel islam and Sarwar Kamal are in jail. Mahbubur Rahman, Farzana Islam, Monwar Hossain, Syed Shafiquel islam, Rezaul Islam, Nantu Contractor, Nayan Miah and Rezaul Karim are on the run and rest of the accused have obtained bail. The other case filed under the national building code is stuck with Dhaka Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court. On June 14 last year, the court framed charges against 18 accused including Sohel Rana in the case. Since then, the court has fixed many dates for recording statements of witnesses but it has been stalled by time petitions. The defence lawyers are filling time petitions on every scheduled date seeking adjournment, saying that three of the accused have challenged the case at the Dhaka District and Sessions Judges Court, which is pending. A total of 724 people are witnesses in the two cases.•
Workplace safety in govt-inspected RMG factories in limbo Units under Accord, Alliance see visible headway News 3 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 DT Saddam Hossen, a victim of the Rana Plaza tragedy. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN • Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Though workplace safety in garment factories inspected by foreign retailers’ platforms has significantly improved since the tragic Rana Plaza incident, safety concerns in the government-monitored factories have not been addressed as expected. The foreign buyers’ platforms – Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (Accord) and Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) – have been working to improve safety standards in the country’s apparel industry since the horrific industrial disaster that took place in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, in April 2013, leaving over 1,100 people dead and countless more maimed. Later, the government under the aegis of the International Labour Organization forged another platform – National Initiative (NI) – to inspect workers’ safety in factories that are not included in the two platforms. Overall, 77% of safety risks in the Accord-inspected factories have been addressed with 90% of defects fixed in electrical safety and 73% in fire safety standards, according to the latest data. On the other hand, 75% of flaws have been addressed in the Alliance-monitored ones with 81% of faults fixed in electrical safety and 74% in fire safety measures. And, as of yesterday, 74 of the Alliance factories and 61 of the Accord factories implemented all provisions outlined in their Corrective Action Plans (CAPs). “Workplace safety in Bangladesh’s RMG sector has improved significantly in the past four years. But, there is still a lot to do for factories to be safe,” Accord Executive Director Rob Wayss told the Dhaka Tribune. Since many of the factories have yet to address their remediation issues, he put emphasis on completing remediation for their fire, electrical and structural safety. Wayss also underlined the need for retrofitting, emergency access and egress, and quick installation of fire detection and suppression equipment. Echoing Wayss, ILO Country Director in Bangladesh Srinivas B Reddy said there had been a considerable improvement in workplace safety in the sector thanks to the collective efforts of the government, Accord, Alliance, employers, workers’ organisations and other development partners. However, there has been no visible progress in safety measures taken for the NI-inspected factories as it is yet to start remediation process. As of now, only four factory owners have approved the CAPs, while the others are still awaiting the NI’s directives. As progress in the NI measures is slow compared to that of Accord and Alliance, Reddy said it was important to recognise that the work is more about ensuring safety than simply fixing flaws. He also highlighted the need for a credible and sustainable monitoring as well as compliance system to make sure the progress is sustainable. Md Shamsuzzaman Bhuiyan, inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), said: “Remediation process under the NI will start very soon.” The DIFE has already finalised deals with 26 engineering farms to work on structural safety, while another 20 farms have initially been selected to work on fire and electrical safety issues, he added. The official also said they were in discussion with some 90 engineers who would supervise the inspection work. According to the DIFE, 500 of the 1,549 NI-inspected factories are running business in their own buildings while the rest are housed in rented buildings. Shamsuzzaman said they would hold meeting with factory owners running business in their own buildings and set a time limit for them to finish their inspection work. “Those who are running business in shared or rented buildings will have to run the factories either in their own buildings or buildings that are safe; or else they will be asked to shut down the businesses,” he added. Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, said: “No doubt workplace safety in the factories has improved to a great extent. But, there are concerns about the NI-monitored factories.” Stakeholders suggested developing a mechanism to complete the remediation process as soon as possible to avert any possible accident. And, the retailers’ platforms, trade union leaders, rights activists emphasised providing workers with necessary training and safety knowledge and building capacity of committees working on safety. • CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan speaks at the ILO-CPD dialogue on readymade garments sector yesterday RAJIB DHAR CPD weighs in on lessons learned from Rana Plaza disaster • Shariful Islam Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) yesterday recommended introduction of social dialogue in the RMG sector, a practice of making public policy through engaging all stakeholders – the government, employers and worker representatives. The think tank along with International Labour Organisation (ILO) organised the dialogue at Gardenia restaurant in Gulshan on the occasion of the Rana Plaza disaster’s fourth anniversary. ILO Country Director Srinivas B Reddy explained the importance of social dialogue, saying: “It provides a tool to build trust and inclusion, and to reduce the risk of labour unrest. Enhanced social dialogue can help workers and employers to form a high quality partnership where they share goals and objectives. By providing all social partners with an opportunity to engage in the decisions that shape their society, social dialogue can help to constructively reduce inequalities.” The discussion “Catalysing social dialogue in the RMG sector of Bangladesh” was presided over by CPD Chairperson Prof Rehman Sobhan who said workers have to be made fundamental stakeholders in the enterprises, where they work and where they are seen as business partners rather than dependent on the market forces in order to establish a balanced relationship between the employees and the employers. He spoke on the inaction of the government about the largest industrial disaster in Bangladesh. “This is the fourth year of the Rana Plaza tragedy and, the shame on the country, but I have not noticed, on the anniversary of Rana Plaza over the last four years, any discussion in the highest body of the land – our parliament – to see progress has been made and what level of accountability has been achieved and exercised by the government. “The disaster brought to light the whole weakness in the governance system, shedding light on a complete lack of oversight and a politically influential property owner who could use its influence to ensure the enforcement mechanism is not put in place,” said Prof Rehman Sobhan. Studies on social dialogue revealed the challenges of implementing the process is a lack of interest or unwillingness of governments and stakeholders which may be due to the prevailing tradition and “weakness” of social partners. The CPD chairperson said: “I have not seen any parliamentary committee sitting and made responsible for overseeing all the critical elements which are actually being put in place to see whether they are being enforced. “This is a question that the lawmakers should address.” He added that the highest legal and political bodies in Bangladesh should constantly address this issue and exercise their political oversight to sort out problems at the heart of the Rana Plaza tragedy. CPD Research Director Khondaker Golam Moazzem presented the data from his study on the Rana Plaza disaster at the dialogue called “Strengthening social dialogue mechanism under weak enabling environment: case of RMG sector.” Distinguished Fellow of CPD Debapriya Bhattacharya moderated the discussion while Secretary of Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) Mikail Shipar, and Vice-President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu spoke, among others, at the discussion. •
Page 1: SECOND EDITION MONDAY, APRIL 24, 20
Page 5 and 6: Mayors lock horns over coloured bus
Page 7 and 8: Prof Rezaul’s colleagues, student
Page 9 and 10: Furious Afghans call for resignatio
Page 11 and 12: NBR: Upcoming budget to be investme
Page 13 and 14: Opinion 13 DT MONDAY, APRIL 24, 201
Page 15 and 16: Stitched in woe Opinion 15 DT MONDA
Page 17 and 18: What’s on 17 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 20
Page 19 and 20: Sports 19 DT MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017
Page 21 and 22: Sports 21 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 DT
Page 23 and 24: Aynabaji on TV Showtime 23 MONDAY,

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