The People of Bangladesh
Figure 1: Map of Bangladesh
Figure
2: A Voting in Bangladesh: A Hindu
woman vote. 4% of Bangladesh's 130m are Hindus. Bangladesh is a secular
country. Photo: Amit Bhargava, AP
Figure
3: A visor similar to the one i purchased
Introduction
On April 15, 2001 an article appeared in the New York Times describing a fire in a Bangladesh factory that claimed the lives of 52 workers. The article noted that the majority of the victims were young women and children who had their final breaths “stomped out of them” as they tried to escape flames fueled by boxes of polo shirts they had probably made earlier that day. According to the article, the fire resulted in the surviving factory workers being forced to work 18 hour days in which they were “given a lunch break at 1 p.m., then a shorter breather at 10 p.m., when each received a piece of bread and a banana” ( www.earlham.edu/~jond/2003 Stuff/ LivesHeld Cheap.htm ).
I recently purchased a baby blue Miami visor at the Shriver Book Store. While clipping the tags on my new visor the bold black words: Made in Bangladesh leaped forth at me from the rim of the baby blue background (see figure 2). Had this visor been produced in a factory in Bangladesh similar to the one where the tragic fire had occurred? I hope to answer this question and many more by tracing the production of my new visor as close as possible to the hands that produced it. As a result of this process I hope to learn more about the workers of Bangladesh and the conditions under which they labored to produce the visor.
Context of Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a small Asian country about the size of Wisconsin that extends 55,598 square miles (O'Donnell 1984c:5). The country is surrounded by India on all side expect its southern coastline (see figure 1) (O'Donnell 1984c:6). During summer months, one-third of Bangladesh 's delta like terrain becomes flooded by the major rivers flowing through the country (O'Donnell 1984c:6). Seen as both a blessing and a curse, the annual flooding of the rivers “renews the fertile soils of the region and allows it to support some of the highest agricultural population densities in the world” (Gall 1998c: 89). Two-thirds of the land in Bangladesh is under cultivation (O'Donnell 1984c:14) and produces crops such as rice, jute, oil seeds, wheat, pulses, and vegetables, with jute being the countries primary cash crop (Baxter 1997c:4).
The place currently known as Bangladesh was once a part of Pakistan . In the late 1940's Muslims in India broke off to form Bangladesh (Moss & Wilson 1993c:437). Within this newly created land major political and language differences lead to a major rebellion and civil war that resulted in the creation of current day Bangladesh in 1971 when East Pakistan became an independent nation (Moss & Wilson 1993c:437).
Today the conditions of over-population, extreme poverty, malnutrition, and lack of natural resources that are plaguing the country cause Bangladesh to be seen as somewhat of an “international basket case” (Gall 1998c:92). Some have even placed the country into its own category of a 4 th world country due to aforementioned factors and its heavy dependence on foreign aid to sustain life (Gall 1998c:89).
Brand: Ouray
The visor I purchased a few months back was manufactured by Ouray Sportswear. This year Ouray Sportswear, a family-owned company, is celebrating four decades in the sportswear industry. ( www.ouraysportswear.com ) The company with headquarters in Englewood Colorado offers “a complete line of distinctive, high-quality sportswear for men, women, and children with a distribution network of over 5,000 collegiate, resort, retail, corporate, promotional, and camp customers throughout North America, South Pacific, and the Caribbean”. (www.ourarysportswear.com) Currently, there are over 200 peopled employed at the Ouray headquarters and according to information found on the companies' website, Ouray Sportswear is doing quite well financially, as it was reported that “revenues have grown more than ten-fold in the last decade”. (www.ouraysportswear.com)
From viewing the companies' website it is clear that there is a major emphasis placed on certain core values that guide all decisions make within the organization. To this end, there was an entire section of the website outlining the minimum standards required from all Ouray manufactures. Among this list there was discussion of issues containing such items as Child Labor, Forced Labor, Health and Safety, and Compensation. Through correspondence with Kevin Smith, the V.P of Materials and Merchandising at Ouray, I was able to find out that the visor I purchased was manufactured at a factory in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh .
People
As a result of the research I have conducted and the information I have been able to secure from contacts within Ouray Sportswear, I will describe to you the life of a fictitious woman from Bangladesh , Rani Rahman. Rani identifies as a Bengal , as does ninety-eight percent of the people in her country ( Gonen 1993c:79 ). She is also a Sunni Muslim. Muslims comprise ninety percent of the population in Bangladesh , with the other ten percent of the population being Buddhist, Christians, or Hindus (Gonen 1993c:79). Rani speaks Bengali, the language spoken by nearly all the people in Bangladesh expect for a small group of Indian migrant workers in the city who speak Urdu (Gonen 1993c:79).
Rani and her husband currently live in a small rectangular home made of dried mud and bamboo. The area that the Rahmans live in is prone to flooding so their home, like most of the homes around them, is built on a platform in order to keep the house elevated above the flood line. (Ember & Ember 2001c:173) Approximately ninety-percent of the population of Bangladesh lives in rural areas in similar conditions as Rani and her family (Gonen 1993c:79).
Rani's marriage to her husband was arranged when she was 17 and he was 25. Her arranged marriage is inline with the cultural norms of her society. It is customary for men to marry at the age of 25 to woman between the ages of 15 and 25 ( Ember & Ember 2001c:175). Unmarried women live with their family until a marriage in arranged, as it is not until this point that she is “released to live in the seclusions of her husbands home” (O'Donnell 1984c:17). Currently Rani and her husband do not have any children. A year into their marriage Rani became pregnant and they had a little girl. Sadly, the child died only four months later. Even though the country of Bangladesh has a very “pluralist national health care system” which includes, “healers such as physicians, nonprofessionally trained doctors, aryuvedic practitioners, homeopaths, fakirs, and naturopaths” the majority of the people in Rani's social class only have regular access to village healers. (Ember & Ember 2001c:179-180) The healer in Rani's local village could not do much to save her infant child. The death of their daughter was not uncommon, as Bangladesh has the highest infant mortality rate in South Asia with 109.2 deaths per every 1,000 births (Gall 1998c:91). Overall, the health care services in Bangladesh could be characterized as sub par. In 1991 there was only 1 doctor for every 12,500 people and only one registered nurse for every 20,000 people. (Baxter 1997c:140)
Rani's husband works down the road at a factor similar to the Ourary factory where Rani works. Both of them feel extreamly lucky to have their factory jobs, as the income provided by these jobs allows them to live far more comfortably than most of thier family and those they know. The fact that both of the Rahman's work at factories is a testimony of the growing textile industry in Bangledesh. The majority of the people in her country are extremely poor. In fact, “almost half of the Bangladesh population…lives beneath the poverty line” ( http://www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf ). Despite the fact that Bangladesh has received a substantial amount of money more in the from of grants and loans from such organizations as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the U.N. Development Program, it still remains one of the “poorest and most densely populated countries in the world” (Bangladesh Country Analysis Brief, 2004 http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/bangla.html ). This past year Rani made over $210 in earnings at her job in the factory where she made my visor. While initially this may not seem like much, it becomes clear that this salary is far above average when you consider that the per capita income in Bangladesh is approximately $360 dollars. ( http://www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf ).
Rani's factory job in the city makes her very different from the majority of the women in her society. Traditionally the Muslim women in Bangladesh have a very limited role in their society they:
Does not leave her home without the permission of her husband or mother-in-law. Unless it's absolutely necessary for survival, she does not work outside the home. She does not even go to the marketplace to shop. The marketplace is the province of men, and Muslim women are taught to avoid contact with men outside their families” ( http://www.jim-mullins.com/Bangladesh.html ).
Despite this fact, the majority of the people working at the garment factories through Bangladesh are women, with females comprising “90% or more of the (garment industry) work force totaling more than 1,000,000 (workers)” in 1991. ( www.senser.com/sixteen.htm#women )
Like the other women who work at the garment factor where my visor was made, Rani gets up early in the morning before the sun rises to commute to the city where she works ( http://www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf ). In the morning Rani prepares a panthabhat, or “left over rice with cold water mixed with palm sugar” for herself (Ember & Ember 2001c:171). She also prepares a lunch for herself consisting of a ruti, “wheat circular flatbread”, and some rice (Ember & Ember 2001c:171). The diets of the majority of the people in Bangladesh primarily consist of rice and fish (Ember & Ember 2001c:171).
At work Rani is older than most women in her factory who are mostly between the ages of 16 and 20. ( http://www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf ) She is also one of very few married women, as 69% of the women in the factory are unmarried. ( http://www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf ) Work conditions for those at the factory where Rani are better than those at most other garment factors in Bangladesh . According to an article entitled The 'Miserable Life' of Women in Bangladesh's Garment Factories published in the March 13, 2000 issue of the Human Rights Bulletin, the work conditions that some Bengal women face include:
Substandard wages, long delays in payment of wages, illegally long overtime hours, no premium pay for overtime or holiday work, unhealthy working conditions, emergency exits locked 24 hours a day, unreasonable restrictions on the use of toilets, verbal abuse, physical abuse of all kinds (slapping, beating, taping of the mouth), arbitrary discharges, unacceptable forms of discipline (cleaning toilets, standing on a table outside of the factory, as punishment) and sexual harassment and even rape. ( www.senser.com/0-03-13.htm )
The same article points out that often times female workers in garment factories are forced “to satisfy the sexual appetites" of those in management positions within the factory. The major factor that allows me to speculate that the conditions of the factory where Rani works is different from those just described is the fact that Ouray company seems to be commuted to caring out the values listed in their code of ethics (which can be found at found at www.ouraysportswear.com/resources/code.asp ) and thus “e xpect the same commitments to be shared by all manufacturers of Ouray Sportswear product” ( www.ourarysprotswear ). I was unable to get infromation from Ouray personall about how these values are actually opertarationalixed.
Process
The process of tracking down information about where and who produced the visor I purchased from the Shriver Bookstore was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I first contacted Ouray on Monday, February 14, 2005. I sent an email to the customer service email address listed on their website and told them that I had recently purchased an Ouray visor and would like to know exactly where in Bangladesh the product was produced and the demographics of the workers. On Thursday, February 17, 2005 I received the following response to my initial request from Kevin Smith the V.P. of Materials and Merchandising at Ouray Sportswear:
Thank you for purchasing an Ouray Sportswear visor. The visor was produced in Bangladesh , in the capital city of Dhaka . The demographics of the workers the factory employees consist women primarily from Dhaka . Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
I immediately followed up by thanking Mr. Smith for such a timely response and requested the following information from him:
- What are the typical wages of the people who manufactured this product (by hour, day, month, and year if possible)
- How old is the person who made your product likely to be?
- What are their living conditions likely to be?
My response to this request was not so timely, as I did not hear back from Mr. Smith until March 3 rd, at which time he responded to my request with the following:
I can look into getting you this information. It would be helpful to have a PO number from the visor you purchased so I can accurately track the timeframe the visor was produced.
I replied on March 8 th with the requested information. On March 9 th Mr. Smith replied and told me the numbers I had supplied him with was not the PO number and that he would forward my e-mail to Kimie Tran, the Collegiate Licensing Administrator, and have her contact me directly to assist with my request. After two weeks of not hearing back from either Mr. Smith or Ms. Tran I decided to call Mr. Smith on Monday, March 28 th . At this time I was unable to speak directly with Mr. Smith but given his voicemail. I left a message asking about the status of the information I had requested. As of now I am currently waiting to have my call returned. Through out the process of trying to track down this information it has been evident that the more detailed the information the more red-tape I am expected to jump through in order to get it.
Conclusion
Some could successfully argue that if there were ever a country that illustrates the point that “the majority of the world's population is excluded from the benefits of economic development”, Bangladesh would be a shining example. (Held & Mcgrew, 4) The fact that Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest countries and currently facing drastic over-population issues while also becoming more and more dependent on foreign assistance would suggest that indeed this place is cut off from any potential benefit of globalization. However, after researching the country of Bangladesh and its people I have begun to view the situation from a new light. Indeed there are instances in Bangladesh were workers have been exploited and paid low wages to produce products so that American and others can buy them at cheaper prices. But, I have tried to show by the factious life of Rani that some of the people of Bangladesh are indeed benefiting from the effects of globalization that has made it possible for companies to set up garment factories such as the one my fictitious character worked in. Because of our ever globalizing economy millions of people in Bangladesh are now employed in positions that pay them much higher wages than they could have ever earned before. It is also vividly clear that the textile industries infiltration of Bangladesh has played a key role in changing patriarchal systems that have kept woman in the homes and oppressed for decades. Factories such as the one where my visor was manufactured employees millions of women, thus providing them with a financial security that could have never existed before. Certainly Rani Rahman employment at the garment factory provided her with resources that enhanced the overall quality of her life.
Internet References Cited
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1997 Female Docility? It's Fading Out in Bangladesh . Human Rights for Workers Bulletin No. 11-16 September 15, 1997. Edited by Robert A Senser. www.senser.com/sixteen.htm#women
An breif acticle outlining the stuggle of women workes in Bangladesh to get better treatment in factories.
2000 The ‘Miserable Life' of Women in Bangladesh 's' Garment Factors.
Human Rights for Workers Bulletin NO. V-6 March 13, 2000. Edited by Robert A. Senser: www.senser.com/0-03-13.htm
Describes the horrific work conditions some women who work in garment factors in Bangledesh are subjected to.
2001 Lives Held Cheap in Bangladesh Sweatshops by Barry Bearak
The New York Time, April 15, 2001. www.earlham.edu/~jond/2003 Stuff/LivesHeldCheap.htm
Describes working conditions in Bangladesh Sweatshops and a trajic fire that claimed the lives of many workers because they could not exit their place of emloyment.
2004 Bangladesh Country Analysis Brief. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/bangla.htm
General information and statistics about Bangladelsh.
n.d. Banchte Shekha: Women Helping Women in Bangladesh by Jim Mullins and Alice Boatwright. http://www.jim-mullins.com/Bangladesh.html
Tells the story of some women n Bangladesh who have stepped outside of the traditional roles of the society and are now helping other women do the same.
n.d. Globalization and Human Rights: The Apparel Industry in the Developing World International Affairs Review by Matthew Wilkins. www.gwu.edu/~iar/WS03_Wilkins.pdf
Detailed overview of the impact of globalization on developing coutnires around the world
Peer-Reviewed References Cited
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1984 Bangladesh : Biography of Muslim Nation. Charles Peter O' Donnell. Westview Press
1993 People of the World: Asian & Pacific Islanders (First Edition), edited by Moss, Joyce & Wilson, George.. Gale Research, INC
1993 The Encyclopedia of the People of the World, edited by Amiram Gonen. pp. 79-80. Henery Holt and Company, New York , New York
1997 Bangladesh : From a Nation to a State. Craig Baxter. Westview Press
1998 Worldmark- Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life: Volume 3: Asia & Oceania Edited by Timothy L. Gall. pp 89-93. Gale
2001 Countries and Their cultures: Vo1-1 ( Afghanistan-Czech Republic ), edited by Melvin Ember & Carol Ember. pp 167-181. Macmillan Reference