Gateway to Employment and Economic Empowerment
for Survivors of Trafficking (March 2011 - Dec 2022)
The Gateway to Employment and Economic Empowerment for Survivors of Trafficking project was funded by Foundation Phi, Spain for empowering the survivors by providing in-service training through job-placement to reduce their socio-economic vulnerability, healthcare services, legal support and to train them
as peer motivators to aware young women and adolescent girls about the underlying dynamics of trafficking episodes To meet the project goal, Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) launched Traffic Survivors Foundation which is an innovative imitative to provide employment for socio-economic empowerment of the survivors of trafficking in women and girls.
Launching Ceremony of Traffic Survivors Foundation
Traffic Survivors Foundation was launched on the occasion of 100 years of International Women’s Day 2011 at Centre for Women and Children Studies premise on 10 March 2011 from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. It was organized by Centre for Women and Children Studies with financial support of Foundation Phi, Spain.
Objective of the project
The main objective is empowerment of survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation through improvement of their socio-economic condition.
Package services provided to women and girls
Identification of survivors/potential victims of trafficking in Satkhira district either for job placement in the garment industry at Dhaka or providing Income Generation Activities (IGA) by livestock rearing.
After final selection for job placement, CWCS conduct medical check-up of survivors and potential victims to check their fitness for work. Qualified women are brought to Dhaka along with one female staff. CWCS bears bus fare and other transportation cost of the survivors and help them to get rented residence.
Designated staff also take them to the garment industry and introduce them to the concerned authority. Women are also provided their necessary utensils and appliances for cooking, one month cost of their food, dress and bed and beddings.
Moreover, one female CWCS staff is engaged to maintain continuous liaison and communication with the authority of garment factory, survivors and their family members left at home for the well-being of the survivors. There is a 24 hour hotline number at CWCS office to communicate with concerned CWCS staff and key stakeholders.
Survivors, their guardians and authority of the garment factory can communicate for any urgent need at any time and CWCS rush to provide necessary support. CWCS staff monitors the women’s status who were placed in jobs in garment industry and negotiate with concerned garment official to ensure their optimum benefit.
Job Placement and sustainable rehabilitation of survivors and potential victims
After the launching ceremony in March 2011, 4 survivors who were brought from Satkhira district were placed in a garment factory in Dhaka They are being provided medical check-up, travel cost and basic amenities for their proper rehabilitation and job placement in Dhaka.
On an average, every month survivors were selected from the project area in Satkhira to be brought to Dhaka and were provided in-service training at the garment factory. They were victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, early marriage, domestic violence and extreme poverty to be placed in secured jobs at a women-friendly garments factory in Dhaka.
In this regard, an agreement was signed between guardians of survivors or potential victims and Centre for Women and Children Studies regarding their job placement in Dhaka.
Given below the 3 years data of women being placed in the garment industries at Dhaka
Over three years’ experience of placement of women and girls in jobs, CWCS observed that survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation who have young children could not continue their services at garment factory in Dhaka and left the job to join with their young children. Moreover, adolescent girls of below 18 years old are declared underage to be employed in garment factory by the authority.
Moreover, some women and girls left the jobs after reconciliation with their husbands, some became sick and some could not cope with the working environment in garment factory.
On the other hand, in 2014 Bangladesh Garments Manufacturing and Exporting Authority (BGMEA) decided to reduce recruiting workers as helpers and they set criteria that those women and girls who have been completed at least primary education can be qualified to join as helpers. As a consequence, many survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation could not be placed in jobs at garment factory.
In 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Centre for Women and Children Studies and The Ananta Garment Factory regarding job placement of survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation at garment factory in Dhaka.
Given below the 6 years data of women being placed in the garment industries at Dhaka
Women are being referred by participants of courtyard meetings being organized by CWCS, chairmen and members of Union Parishad (lowest tier of local government) as well as community people. The referred survivors and/potential victims attended the briefing sessions to get an overview of working environment at the factory, monthly salary, terms of employment, medical facilities, housing etc.
In addition, they were provided medical check-up and healthcare services from the Centre for Women and Children Studies, Satkhira office as they suffered from various diseases being victims of trafficking, sexual exploitation, domestic violence or lived in extreme poverty situation.
They reached Dhaka accompanied by CWCS female staff. On arrival at Dhaka, women are provided with bed and beddings, cooking utensils, clothes as well as food expenses and accommodation cost for the first month.
CWCS staff also helped them to get secured rental residence. The following day, they are being introduced with the relevant officials at the garment factory and being placed in secured jobs after checking their physical fitness properly either as helpers or quality operators.
There is a 24 hour hotline number at CWCS office to communicate with concerned CWCS staff and key stakeholders. Survivors, their guardians and authority of the garment factory can communicate for any urgent need at any time and CWCS rush to provide necessary support. Continuous liaison and communication by CWCS staff is maintained for their well-being.