Please Help us! Women in a mill pen letter describing abuse at work
A letter from six women at a spinning mill in southern India, describing the sexual harassment they face at work and asking for help, exposes the widespread exploitation of women in the multi-billion-dollar textile industry, campaigners said.
"He forces himself on us, constantly hugging us and squeezing our breasts," the women write, describing the behavior of their male supervisor.
"Any worker who resists his advances loses part of her salary. We need this job and don't know who to talk to about the abuse we face everyday. Please help us."
Sent to the social welfare officer in Dindigul, a district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the eight-page letter dated Aug. 29 is a plea for help from abused and exploited women, rights campaigners said.
"Women normally share their experiences only after quitting their jobs," said S. Thivyarakhini of the all-women Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union.
"This is the first time, we have such raw details of ongoing exploitation. The letter has exposed the underbelly of the textile industry in the region."
The mill management said they were unaware of the letter and had not received any official complaint.
"There were unsubstantiated allegations against the same person around a year back by a woman worker," said K.R. Shanmugavel, senior manager at the Rama Spinning Mills.
"We gave him a warning and also terminated the (employment of the) woman worker to avoid further problems."
"There is constant use of vulgar language and other male workers are also encouraged to seek sexual favors from us," the letter states.
"Some desperate women go along with the exploitation and they are exempt from over time work. But those of us who resist are forced to complete the work orders. Any show of protest results in wage cuts."
The women said that they were unable to communicate their problems with the mill owner, who lives in a different city and relies on the manager for feedback.
"We don't mind the wage cuts and the overtime work. It is the sexual harassment that we cannot bear," the women wrote in the letter. "It is something we cannot talk to our families about. We dread going to work every day."
Dindigul social welfare officer G. Shanti told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they were in the process of putting together an enquiry committee to inspect the mill premises and look into the allegations.
Now this doesn’t just happen in India , but in many developing nations. So, what’s the answer ? I was particularly taken by this comment from the management – “"We gave him a warning and also terminated the (employment of the) woman worker to avoid further problems." – Sums it all up really
This happens when no body is serious .....................
In some countries women rarely complain because to prove a rape , one needs to produce 4 witnesses. Recently when a women's bill was introduced in Pakistan, hell broke loose. Mullahs termed it as threat to Islam. In this kind of environment it is natural that women prefer to remain silent rather than complain.
acchabaccha: Let us agree to disagree. Having worked as an expat in a few countries, I can say from experience that a "poor" person or a person in need will put up with a lot in order to support their loved ones.
Brit: There are two aspects. One is the writing of an article and the other is the actual reality on the ground. True, harassment at workplace is prevalent everywhere and it is not just restricted to the weaker sex. But then there are definitely some lines when it come to females. Harassing the weaker sex workers to yield their bodies to the hungry employers, is not to be seen in my country, no matter how poor or needy the female worker may be. There is a bottom line which the weaker sex will simply not allow to be transgressed. We have something which is not visible in the west or here in the Middle East. It is the Power of the Fist. That comes into play in full force if ever such situations develop within a workplace. And then the media steps in to continue with the bashing and the government takes matter in its own hands.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1238495
Brit: I know my place. The media would be on top of it all should they ever get the slightest whiff of something like this taking place. People will take action before the government would. No one could even dare think of doing something like this knowing very well the consequences.
acchbaccha: I would have to disagree with you. I'm sure similar incidents occur. It is more likely that women don't speak up for fear of losing their jobs or reprisals.
I am shocked by this news. Such things do not take place in my country where there is considerably a very large female workforce. With the powerful media that exists today, such incidents would immediately get wide attention and usher in a government crackdown. Let's look forward to that.