Live Presentation
Speak with Mariyam Malik about her practicum on January 31st from 4:30-5:00pm via this .
Video Presentation
View Mariyam Malik's poster presentation in this video recording:Â
Abstract
In Bangladesh, female Ready-Made Garment (RMG) factory workers are subject to long working hours and insufficient access to sexual and reproductive health services. To improve the overall access, a systematic strengthening of these services in the factory clinics is needed.
The literature review conducted during my practicum placement focused on 1) the importance of RMG factories in Bangladesh, 2) the potential of the RMG factory clinics to improve the overall sexual and reproductive health of female workers, 3) past and current attempts to improve access to services and overall health, and 4) the access-related challenges faced by the workers in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the research was to identify RMG factories as key targets for strengthening sexual and reproductive health of garment factory workers.
The sexual and reproductive health services in these clinics are provided by the same organizations responsible for providing health services to workers more generally. In terms of location, the services are accessible to all workers, which removes the barrier of transportation. However, due to insufficient services currently offered at these clinics, lack of privacy, and the associated costs, workers often opt to use alternative outlets for their health needs. This includes non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private doctors, informally trained health care workers and community health workers. These alternative outlets may be insufficient and have been found to be inconvenient to access for the workers in terms of operating hours and location. The most relevant sexual and reproductive health care concerns identified by primary data include access, services and products related to menstrual regulation, abortion, family planning and menstrual hygiene.