Workers in clothing and footwear factories in Vietnam, which produce clothing for major US and European brands, face regular sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. About 43.1% of 763 women working in factories in three Vietnamese provinces have reported having suffered at least Some forms of violence and / or harassment in the past year, according to a study conducted last Monday by Fairware International, a non-profit organization with 130 global members.
Social violence expert Jane Bellinger says the abuse - ranging from show abuse, slapping, rape, and threat of termination - highlights the working conditions of women in some Vietnamese factories, with 20,000 employees.
"I was shocked when I learned that about 50 percent of the women interviewed had confirmed that they had experienced some form of violence last year, although I have been working on such issues for more than 30 years," she said. "There is a great culture of silence on this subject, and as a result the numbers may be higher than here. We know that some women did not answer questions in interviews, perhaps because they fear the reactions of employers or husbands."
This study is the first of its kind linking violence and sexual harassment in garment factories with other endemic factors in these places, including overtime, low wages, long hours of work, and unrealistic production goals, Director of Vietnam's Fairware, Anabel Miers. The study found that the age, education, and status of the employee as a migrant are factors that determine the type of abuse, where women are treated worse whenever they are younger and better educated, and if they are migrants.
Harmful effect
"We were shocked by the harmful impact of violence and harassment on productivity, competitiveness and reputation, as well as on women's safety, health and well-being," she says. "It may seem simple, but most clothing brands do not realize that they have a significant impact on factory conditions, "Although the names of the factories and the brands they contract with were confidential in this study to encourage stakeholders to participate, there is a strong possibility that these marks belong to major European and American companies," she said. "The Vietnamese government has a strategy to attract the clothing industry International, and Has built large factories that produce fast-response goods for European and American markets: clothes, shoes and sports clothes. "There is a strong possibility that these factories are involved, but we can not precisely identify these factories, Commercial business ".
About 2 million people work in the garment sector in Vietnam, more than 80 percent of whom are women. But the study found that women suffer more than any other factor. A large number of women interviewed (87.7%) suffer from abusive verbal abuse, harassment, and are defined as abusive comments that mock, insult or refer to their sexual activities, and half (49.5%) have been subjected to violence or harassment during (34.3%) were subjected to physical harassment, such as kissing, touching, punching or punching. The other third (28.9%) were subjected to nonverbal harassment such as obscene gestures, sounds, puns, e-mails or abusive text that affect their safety, such as threatening to take them home.
Workers also complained of overtime work of up to 90 hours per month during crowded periods, as well as working 12 to 13 hours a day. About half of the women worked more than 60 additional hours per month, but many claimed that overtime was not paid. Women described the environments as being very stressful, making them very tense and afraid to take breaks to go to the bathroom for fear of the consequences for their jobs. "I do not dare go to the bathroom," says a worker in Ho Chi Minh City. "If I go there a lot, it will be recorded in the attendance register and my salary will be deducted."
"We are very nervous when they shout at us and scold us, and there is a lot of screaming to get us to work more quickly," said a worker in Hai Dong Province. The study revealed a significant relationship between overtime and maltreatment in the workplace, with violence and harassment increasing by 3.8 times during the peak season compared to the rest of the year, and also by 2.4 times overtime for 30 hours or more per month; Workers can refuse overtime. "The supervisor strikes me, hits my hand with a stick, and puts things in my face," said a worker in Dong Nai Province. "Women are subjected to violence and harassment 1.5 times more if they are 25 years old or younger, 1.7 times more if they complete secondary or higher education , Double that of female migrant workers, or of women who worked in the factory for a year or less.
- Employees complained about overtime work
Up to 90 hours per month, during
Busy periods, plus work
Between 12 and 13 hours a day.