- Nairobi
- Mumbai
- Jakarta
- Rio
- Mexico City
- ঢাকা | Dhaka
Katy Fentress, Nairobi Community Manager
Every year thousands of rural migrants stream to Nairobi slums in search of economic opportunities from which they are excluded back home.
Recent studies have shown that the majority of slum dwellers are not born in Nairobi, but have come from rural areas to explore the city’s livelihood opportunities during their early adult years. When it comes to services for these new arrivals, it seems safe to say that there is no such thing in the context of Nairobi’s informal settlements.
New arrivals are at the lowest rung of the economic chain and must rely on their own ingenuity, entrepreneurial spirit, and (importantly) family networks in order to get ahead.
Aged on average between 20 and 24 years old, young men and women who travel to the city will often leave behind their progeny, who they feel will have access to a better quality of life back in the village. Although the city may contain a higher level of medical and educational services, newly arrived migrants can only afford to live in the cheapest accommodations in order to put money aside for investment back home. As such, they tend to live in the least-serviced areas in slums and are hesitant to expose their children to the insalubrious environment for which these areas are renowned.
From the perspective of rural migration to slums, the absence of children is relevant with respect to general slum upgrading and service provision, because it is not something that appears in the country’s census — which focuses on occupants per household and not on children left behind with relatives in rural areas. As such, any slum improvement initiatives that do take place take into account the amount of existing children in the area, but not the potential for more children to arrive if living conditions improve.
The above view is reflected in a paper entitled “Urban services and child migration to the slums of Nairobi”, which highlights how migration theory insights have not made their way into the urban planning realm. The article underlines how in a city like Nairobi, there are yet to be any provisions relating to how improvements in basic services may “elicit a heightened migration of children and therefore necessitate investments in social sector such as the provision of health education and sanitation.”
Although extensive research has been done on the issue, including an in-depth survey that was conducted between 2003 and 2007 among residents of Korogocho and Viwandani slum entitled “Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System”, there are no current prescriptions as to how exactly the government must act in order to tackle this problem.
In what way can governmental or non-governmental organisations draw up plans that will include service provision for the children of recent migrants? How is it possible for the government to identify a point of entry for new arrivals and document their comings and goings, in areas that already slip through the net of government control? These are important questions that policy makers can no longer afford to ignore if the problem of overcrowded settlements is to be tackled.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00
Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager
Mumbai is a city of migrants. Millions of residents have journeyed to the island city from all around the country, bringing a rich diversity of languages, religions, and customs. They come with hopes and dreams of having more than they did in their jobless villages, toiling invisibly in all corners of the city. Many of these migrants are the foundation on which the city is built — literally. Construction is the single largest employer of migrant laborers in India’s cities. Both men and women — the poorest of the poor — spend endless hours laying down bricks, carrying cement, chopping away at old roads to bring home a meager living for their families, most of who live right at the sites.
“It is deeply ironic that the children of the very people who produce the symbols of economic development — skyscrapers, residential, and commercial complexes — are denied the ability to participate in and benefit from the progress the city promises,” says Mumbai Mobile Creches (MMC), the only organization in Mumbai that works with children who live at construction sites. Despite their contributions, Mumbai’s construction laborers have little connection to what the booming city has to offer.
The organization estimates that 35 million migrants work in the construction industry in urban Indian. The workers come from villages with their children and — unlike many physically demanding industries — women also participate. That leaves their children — estimated to number about 50 million — alone: the young looking after the very young and taking on household duties well beyond their years. They are essentially the invisible residents of the city, with almost no access to the formal systems. School and health care elude this population. MMC, which began in Delhi nearly 30 years ago, says that while the Construction Workers Act of 1996 was “progressive and included a number of social welfare benefits, most states, including Maharashtra, are yet to ratify this Act. As a result, MMC is, most likely, the only support service a child on a site will encounter.”
MMC runs 29 daycare centers, serving nearly 5,000 children. Their special focus on under-six toddlers ensures that older children are free to attend school and that very young children receive the necessary cognitive and emotional support to succeed as they grow. MMC’s studies show that nearly 80 percent of children at construction sites are not enrolled in formal schooling — much above the city, state, and national averages. The goal of MMC is to provide necessary services — including tutoring in language skills, since many of the children only speak a regional dialect — to increase the likelihood of them attending school. Also, if children attend school, it reduces the likelihood of child marriage and child labor.
Given that MMC is one of the few organizations working with this population — particularly children — influencing policy to benefit the migrant construction laborers is an important part of their efforts. The government has implemented a scheme focused on children under six years old called the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), though only recently has that included migrant children. MMC’s advocacy efforts have helped launch a pilot program in Mumbai where MMC and the ICDS are jointly running three centers on construction sites. The program is an important step in gaining government recognition of migrant construction workers and their families as part of the life force of the city. Scaling the program and integrating construction site children into formal systems are essential to advancing the next generation, and to ensuring that all residents of the city — whether visible or not — have access to the most fundamental of urban services.
Photo 1: Tom Maisey / Creative Commons
Photo 2: khrawlings / Creative Commons
Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00
Nanda Ratna Astuti, Jakarta Community Manager
Every year, 47,000 migrants arrive in Jakarta, leading to important housing and traffic issues. In 2013, the Jakarta City Government plans to build low-rent apartments in the middle of the city in order to reduce the growth of informal settlements and to limit commuting traffic. By the beginning of this year, the first wave of residents from the Pluit slum moved to low-rent apartments in Marunda. Hopefully this pilot project is a first step to relocating the urban poor in better living conditions.
Jakarta, sebagai ibukota dan pusat perekonomian di Indonesia, menjadi magnet yang sangat kuat bagi datangnya penduduk dari luar provinsi untuk berpindah ke Jakarta demi mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik. Jumlah pendatang setiap tahunnya mencapai 47ribu orang dan biasanya arus urbanisasi tersebut terjadi setelah hari raya idul fitri. Jumlah pendatang yang tinggi ini tentunya menambah permasalahan perkotaan di Jakarta, antara lain tingginya kepadatan penduduk, munculnya pemukiman liar dan masalah kemacetan. Untuk mengurai masalah-masalah tersebut Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta akan mulai membangun rumah susun sewa (rusunawa) murah untuk kelas menengah ke bawah. Langkah ini dianggap sebagai salah satu cara mengurai masalah kemacetan dan pemukiman liar di DKI yang umumnya terjadi karena meledaknya jumlah pendatang dan arus urbanisasi setiap tahunnya.
Wakil Gubernur DKI Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama yang akrab disapa Ahok menjelaskan bahwa pembangunan kota Jakarta akan mengedepankan kebutuhan warga miskin. Warga miskin yang kebanyakan selama ini menempati kamar-kamar kos/sewa di pemukiman padat yang cenderung kumuh di pelosok gang-gang Jakarta serta kelompok pekerja yang bertempat tinggal di daerah pinggiran Jakarta atau daerah tetangga sekitar Jakarta. Pembangunan rusunawa murah di tengah Jakarta ini diharapkan akan dapat mengurangi jumlah penduduk di pemukiman kumuh dan liar serta mengurangi kemacetan. Tingginya harga sewa rumah/kos di Jakarta menyebabkan banyaknya penduduk yang tinggal di daerah pinggiran dan menyebabkan kemacetan terjadi setiap harinya. Dengan adanya rusunawa murah ini maka mereka akan tinggal dekat dengan tempat kerja di tengah kota sehingga kemacetan dapat berkurang. Pembangunan pasar tradisional juga harus diwujudkan di lokasi yang berdekatan dengan rusunawa tersebut sehingga pergerakan masyarakat yang menggunakan kendaraan bermotor dapat ditekan.
Menurutnya, pembangunan apartemen murah berbentuk rusunawa tersebut tetap mengikuti peraturan perundang-undangan yang telah ada. Rencananya pasar-pasar tradisional di Jakarta merupakan lokasi yang tepat untuk dibangun rusunawa di atas bangunan pasar yang sudah ada. Salah satu rusunawa yang telah jadi dan mulai ditempati adalah rusun Marunda. Rusun ini ditempati oleh sebagian warga korban banjir di bantaran Waduk Pluit. Diharapkan rusun Marunda ini dapat menjadi proyek percontohan untuk pembangunan rusunawa selanjutnya dan berpindahnya masyarakat dari tempat tinggal sebelumnya ke rusun ini dapat ditiru oleh masyarakat di permukiman kumuh/liar lainnya di Jakarta. Terutama bagi masyarakat pendatang dari luar daerah, agar tidak membuka pemukiman liar yang baru, tetapi menggunakan fasilitas rusunawa yang sudah disediakan pemerintah daerah DKI Jakarta.
Photo 1: Rusun Marunda
Photo 2: Rusun Marunda Tower 7 – Sumber
Submitted by Nanda Ratna — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00
Catalina Gomez, Rio de Janeiro Community Manager
No Rio de Janeiro existe um grupo populacional que merece uma atenção especial: Os migrantes nordestinos e seus descendentes, que com mais de sessenta anos no Rio continuam como uma das populações mais pobres e excluídas da cidade. A migração de nordestinos para São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro aconteceu entre as décadas de 1940 e 1970, onde um número importante de agricultores nordestinos passou a migrar para aquelas cidades em busca de melhores oportunidades de trabalho na construção civil.
A migração de nordestinos no Rio trouxe consequências positivas e negativas para a cidade. Do lado positivo, os nordestinos trouxeram sua riquíssima cultura e sua influencia africana evidente na sua música, dança, religiões e comida. Ninguém pode ignorar aquela importante contribuição na cultura local. No lado negativo, devido à histórica falta de oferta habitacional para população de baixa renda no Rio, aquele fluxo de migrantes viu-se obrigado a ocupar terrenos e a formar aglomerados precários considerados como as primeiras favelas na cidade.
Atualmente a migração nordestina tem diminuído consideravelmente, devido principalmente à melhoria estrutural de outras regiões do país, e os problemas resultantes da superpopulação nas grandes cidades. Mais a população nordestina que ainda mora no Rio está altamente concentrada nas favelas. Infelizmente existe pouca informação para um analise mais profundo, e também existem muito poucos programas e serviços especialmente focados para esta população. Acontece que os nordestinos fazem parte de um grupo maior de população de baixa renda que atualmente é foco de vários programas públicos de urbanização, de transferências condicionadas e outros serviços sociais que já vem sido discutidos nos artigos da URB.IM. Ajudaria a melhorar suas condições de vida, mais pesquisas que orientem políticas públicas em seu favor, além de maior oferta de programas no apoio a sua inclusão laboral.
Tentando também trazer um aspeto mais positivo, é importante ressaltar a resiliência da cultura nordestina na cidade. Por exemplo, comunidades de baixa renda tais como Rocinha, uma das maiores da cidade é também um dos pontos de nordestinos mais importantes no Rio. No bairro existem vários mercados e restaurantes especializados; também é comum escutar o tradicional ritmo nordestino, o forró no lugar de outros ritmos locais.
Outro importante centro de encontro da cultura nordestina no Rio é a Feira de São Cristóvão, ou Feira dos Nordestinos. Esta feira tem sido o ponto de encontro desde 1945 dos nordestinos que chagavam a Rio com suas famílias e conterrâneos. Hoje a feira acontece num pavilhão reformado em 2003 pela Prefeitura conhecido como o Centro Municipal Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas que recebe mais de 300 mil visitantes mensais, ostentando o título de espaço de cultura popular com maior frequência de público em toda a América Latina. Aquele lugar tem mais de 700 pontos de venda de comidas e produtos nordestinos e oferece shows diários de musica e dança tradicional.
É indiscutível a importância da cultura nordestina no Rio. Embora esta cultura seja de grande relevância na cidade, ainda tem que existir maiores esforços pela conservação das tradições e pela melhora da qualidade de vida dos migrantes e seus descendentes. Alguns eventos recentes na cidade têm apresentado casos de discriminação a esta população requerendo-se maiores esforços públicos e da cidadania para prevenir estes comportamentos e promover sua maior inclusão.
Photo credits: Centro Municipal Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas
Catalina Gomez, Rio de Janeiro Community Manager
In Rio de Janeiro, there is no specific group that can be clearly classified as the “new urban poor.” There is no single large group of recently arrived migrants that have become the poorest of Rio’s groups. However, there is a special group that deserves our attention: the migrants from Brazil’s Northeast region, who migrated to Rio six decades ago, but are still one of Rio’s poorest and most excluded populations. Their migration took place between the late 1940s and the 1970s, when a large number of agriculturalists from the northeast migrated to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in search of better paying jobs in civil construction.
This migration from the northeast brought both positive and negative consequences to Rio. On the positive side, the newcomers brought their spectacularly rich culture, most of it influenced by African ancestry, evident in their traditions, music, dance, religion, and food, which heavily influenced Rio’s own culture. On the negative side, given the lack of adequate housing for low-income populations in Rio at the time, these migrants had no other option but to occupy land and to settle in precarious neighborhoods known today as favelas.
The migration flux from the northeast to the southeast has slowed significantly in recent years due to the structural improvements in other regions in Brazil, as well as to the emerging urban and social issues within big cities. But the descendants of northeast migrants, who still live Rio, continue to live in favelas and are largely excluded from economic prosperity. Unfortunately, there is little objective data on this issue, as well as very few programs and services targeted specifically to this group. Currently, northeastern descendants are considered part of a larger target group of low-income populations, who benefit from various public interventions such as urban upgrading, cash transfers, and other social services, as discussed in previous articles on URB.im. It would significantly improve this population’s condition if more informed research were carried out in order to better orient political decisions and social programs.
On a more positive side, it is worth highlighting some of the northeastern population’s informal resilience techniques: although they are in many ways excluded, they have managed to develop a strong cultural presence within the city. For example, Rocinha, one of Rio’s largest low-income neighborhoods, is also one the most relevant areas for northeastern communities in Rio; it has various markets and restaurants specializing in products from the northeast; and when one walks around the community, it is common to hear traditional northeastern forró music instead of other local rhythms.
Another important location that gathers the culture from the northeast is the famous Feira de São Cristóvão, better known as the Northeast Fair. Today it is Latin America’s most visited popular cultural space, with 300,000 visitors a month. This venue has existed since 1945, when it was used as a meeting point for northeastern newcomers. Today, this “fair” takes place in the Municipal Center Luiz Gonzaga of Northeastern Traditions, which was built in 2003 by the local government in support of northeast culture in Rio. It has over 700 specialized food and product stands, and it offers daily live music and dance shows.
It is undeniable that the presence of the northeast culture in Rio is important, but greater efforts need to take place — not only to preserve the population’s ancestry and traditions, but also to improve the group’s quality of life. Some recent events have shown discriminatory attitudes toward the northeastern populations, requiring greater public and civic efforts to prevent such behavior and to promote more inclusive policies.
Photo credits: Centro Municipal Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00
María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
En México la migración es el principal determinante del crecimiento demográfico; la diversificación de las actividades económicas ha propiciado la aparición de polos de atracción alternativos que influyen en la movilidad territorial. El Distrito Federal desde los años cincuenta ha sido un lugar de destino de corrientes migratorias de otras entidades federativas, así como de migración intermunicipal en el área de la Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México. Actualmente el DF ya no representa el principal polo de atracción en México, aunque sigue recibiendo migrantes temporales, de tránsito y de residencia.
El movimiento migratorio a las ciudades pone a prueba la planeación urbana, pues debe considerar el derecho a la movilidad y los derechos de los migrantes para que estos tengan acceso a servicios, un techo adecuado y la integración a la dinámica del nuevo sitio de destino.
En este sentido, diversas organizaciones en el DF trabajan para que los migrantes protejan y gocen de sus derechos humanos en los destinos de movimiento. Cáritas, Sin Fronteras, Casa de los Amigos y la Asamblea de Indígenas Migrantes en el DF, son algunas de ellas que promueven la adaptación del migrante y la reducción de situaciones que lo vuelvan vulnerable.
De acuerdo al programa de migrantes de Cáritas en la Ciudad de México, la mayoría de la población que acude a instituciones de apoyo son migrantes extranjeros que transitan o cambian de residencia al D.F., debido a causas de extorsión en los lugares de origen y por ser víctimas de grupos delictivos. Los migrantes que buscan ayuda en instituciones gubernamentales o en grupos religiosos son canalizados al programa de apoyo de Cáritas, de ellos 40 por ciento se encuentran en tránsito hacia Estados Unidos, mientras que otro 40 por ciento deciden permanecer en el DF. Estos últimos se enfrentan principalmente a la falta de empleo y por ende a la carencia de un ingreso e infraestructura básica como es la vivienda. La organización afirma que aún y cuando los migrantes completan su proceso de regularización para residir en la Cd., el mercado laboral formal no toma en cuenta a los migrantes debido a requerimientos legales. Ante la problemática expuesta, Cáritas promueve el impulso productivo de esta población, para que a través de talleres y de la comercialización de artesanías las personas puedan desarrollar habilidades, potencializar sus talentos y generar recursos que les permita salir de la situación de vulnerabilidad. Los talleres tienen una duración de dos semanas, así mismo, mientras se desarrolla este impulso productivo, Cáritas les brinda una asistencia económica por las piezas que producen en los talleres. Al finalizar el taller se busca que la persona sea independiente de la asistencia económica, y que no tome esta como un empleo, si no más bien obtenga los medios para desarrollar una actividad.
Por su parte, a los migrantes que lo soliciten se les brinda atención médica y psicológica e insumos para la higiene personal. En ocasiones los migrantes presentan algún grado de desnutrición, por lo que Cáritas tiene alianza con los restaurantes de la zona para poder proveer alimentos de manera inmediata; de la misma manera, Cáritas canaliza a los migrantes a albergues o instituciones de apoyo para su refugio. Otro de los apoyos que otorga es relacionado al transporte para que los migrantes que ya han sido deportados de Estados Unidos y se encuentran en tránsito a sus comunidades de origen, puedan completar su camino.
El trabajo de Cáritas, al igual que otras iniciativas de la sociedad civil permite reducir los factores de vulnerabilidad de los migrantes. No obstante desde la perspectiva del gobierno es importante reflexionar sobre el desarrollo de políticas públicas, de manera que la planeación y el desarrollo den cabida a los nuevos residentes de las ciudades.
María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
In Mexico, migration is the principal determinant of demographic growth: the diversification of economic activities has contributed to the rise of alternative poles of attraction that influence territorial mobility. Ever since the 1950s, Mexico City has been a destination for migratory waves from other states, as well as inter-municipal migration in the city’s Metropolitan Zone. Mexico City is now no longer the main destination pole in Mexico, although it does continue to receive temporary transitory and residential migrants.
The migratory movement into Mexico City puts urban planning to the test, since it forces planners to consider the right to mobility and migrants’ rights, especially with regard to access to resources, proper housing, and integration into the dynamics of the new destination.
Various organizations in Mexico City are working together for migrants’ human rights. Caritas, Sin Fronteras, Casa de los Amigos and the Asamblea de Indígenas Migrantes en el DF are some of the organizations that promote migrant adaptation, as well as the reduction of vulnerability.
According to Mexico City’s Caritas migrant program, the majority of those who go to NGOs for help are foreign migrants transitioning through Mexico City, or those who come to Mexico City because of extortion or criminality in their place of origin. Those migrants that seek help in governmental institutions or in religious groups are directed to the Caritas support program; of these migrants, 40 percent are en route to the United States, while the other 40 percent reside permanently in Mexico City. This last group faces unemployment and therefore lacks infrastructure, including housing. The organization explains that even though migrants complete their legalization process to reside in the city, the formal labor market ignores migrants because of legal technicalities. Caritas therefore promotes migrants through workshops and the commercialization of arts and crafts, so that they can develop skills, strengthen their talents, and generate resources that will allow them to come out of their situation of vulnerability. Caritas also provides economic assistance for the arts and crafts pieces that are produced during the workshops. Upon the completion of the workshop, the migrant is guided on how to be independent from economic assistance, and to use the skills learned in the workshop as a way to develop a productive economic activity.
In addition, these migrants are given medical and psychological care, as well as personal hygiene supplies. On some occasions, migrants show signs of malnutrition. Caritas has a partnership with local restaurants that immediately provide the migrants with meals. In the same way, Caritas directs migrants to shelters or resource institutions for refugees. Caritas also provides transportation for migrants that have been deported from the United States and are transiting back to their communities of origin — this service helps them complete their return home.
The work of Caritas, like other civil society initiatives, allows for the reduction of vulnerability factors that affect migrants. It is also important for the government to develop public policy in a way that accommodates for new residents of Mexico City.
Submitted by Maria Fernanda Carvallo — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00
দ্বিঘা শ্রেষ্ঠা ও জ্যোতি পখারেল
বাংলাদেশে গড়ে ১০ লক্ষ মানুষ গ্রাম থেকে শহরে আসে, এর মধ্যে ৫০% আসে নগরী ঢাকায়। একটি পরিসংখানে দেখা গিয়েছি যে, ঢাকায় বাইরে থেকে মানুষ আসার প্রধান কারণ হচ্ছে বেসরকারি কর্মসংস্থানের (যেমনঃ গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরি) সুব্যবস্থা এবং তুলনামূলক বেশী উপার্জনের সম্ভাবনা। আনুমানিক ১,১০০ গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরি ৪০০,০০০ অভিজ্ঞ-অনভিজ্ঞ শ্রমিকদের চাকরি দিয়ে থাকে এবং গ্রাম থেকে আসা শতকরা ৮ ভাগ মানুষই গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরিতে চাকরি পাওয়ার আশায় শহরে আসে। গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকদের শতকরা ৮৫ ভাগ কাজ করে গ্রাম থেকে আসা মহিলারা। লক্ষ্য করা গিয়েছে যে, এসকল মহিলা শ্রমিকদের শতকরা ৮৭ জনই বিভিন্ন অসুখে ভুগছে; উদাহরণ সরূপ, পুষ্টিহীনতা, অ্যানিমিয়া, গাইনকলজিকাল (gynocological) সমস্যা, প্রসাবে সমস্যা এবং অন্যান্য ছোঁয়াচে রোগ। গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরির মহিলা কর্মীরা সমাজ ব্যবস্থায় নিম্নস্তরে অবস্থান করে, যেখানে তারা খুব সীমিত আয়ে সুবিধাবঞ্চিত জীবনযাপন করে।
১৯৮৮ সালে প্রতিষ্ঠিত মেরী স্টপস বাংলাদেশ গার্মেন্টস কর্মীর ন্যায় গরীব এবং ভঙ্গুর নারীদের উন্নতি এবং তাদের মাতৃকালীন স্বাস্থ্যসেবা প্রদানের জন্য কাজ করে যাচ্ছে। এই সংস্থাটি স্বাস্থ্য-সচেতনতামূলক বিষয়ে যেমন, HIV এইডস এর কারণ এবং প্রতিকার, মা এবং শিশু স্বাস্থ্য, গর্ভবতী মহিলাদের প্রাথমিক স্বাস্থ্যসেবা, ইত্যাদি সম্পর্কে গার্মেন্টসের মহিলা কর্মীদের এবং নবাগত গ্রাম্য মহিলাদের প্রশিক্ষন দিচ্ছে। মেরী স্টপস বাংলাদেশ ঢাকা এবং ঢাকার বাইরের অন্যান্য ১০০ টির বেশী গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরির সাথে চুক্তিবদ্ধ হয়েছে স্বাস্থ্যসেবার প্রশিক্ষনের জন্য। এই প্রকল্পে তারা সাধারণ স্বাস্থ্য পরীক্ষা, গর্ভাবস্থা, পরিবার পরিকল্পনা এবং যৌন রোগ প্রতিকার, ইত্যাদি বিষয়ে প্রশিক্ষন দিতে চুক্তিবদ্ধ হয়েছে। এছাড়াও, এই প্রকল্পের অংশ হিসাবে প্রতিটি ফ্যাক্টরিতে একটি করে ছোট স্বাস্থ্যসেবা ঘর তৈরি করা হয়েছে, যার জন্য প্রতি মাসে ফ্যাক্টরি থেকেই তাদেরকে কর্মী প্রতি ১২ টাকা করে দেয়া হয়।
সাধারণত, যেসকল গার্মেন্টস কর্মীরা নিম্ন আয়ের পরিবার থেকে আসে তারা অশিক্ষিত এবং অনভিজ্ঞ হয়ে থাকে। তাই তারা সীমিত জীবিকার উপর নির্ভর করে কোন স্বাস্থ্যকেন্দ্রে যেতে অক্ষম হয়ে থাকে। মেরী স্টপস বাংলাদেশের এই প্রকল্পে গার্মেন্টস কর্মীদের প্রাথমিক স্বাস্থ্যসেবা খুব কম খরচে দিয়ে থাকে। আগে বেশীরভাগ মহিলারাই নিজের দেহের বিভিন্ন অঙ্গ-প্রতঙ্গ (reproductive organs), এদের কার্যকারিতা এবং যৌন সমস্যা কিভাবে সমাধান করতে হবে সে সম্পর্কে জানত না। মেরী স্টপস বাংলাদেশের প্রকল্প মহিলাদের যে শুধু যৌন স্বাস্থ্য সম্পর্কে সচেতন করেছে তাই না, তাদেরকে এই বিষয়ে কথা বলার জন্যও আগ্রহী করে তুলেছে। উপরন্তু, মহিলাদের পরিবার পরিকল্পনা নিয়ে জ্ঞান ছোট পরিবারের অর্থনৈতিক সুবিধা সমূহ বুঝতে সাহায্য করছে। পরিবার ছোট হলে খরচ কম হবে। তাই বলা যায় যে, এই প্রকল্পটি গার্মেন্টস এর গরীব মহিলা শ্রমিকদের স্বাস্থ্য অধিকার নিয়ে সচেতন করতে সার্থক হয়েছে। মেরী স্টপস বাংলাদেশের এসকল প্রকল্প আরও সার্থক হতে পারত যদি গার্মেন্টস কর্মীদের যৌন স্বাস্থ্য এবং গর্ভাবস্থা নিয়ে সচেতনতার সৃষ্টির পাশাপাশি অন্যান্য স্বাস্থ্য সমস্যার উপরও তারা প্রাধান্য দিত।
Photo credit: Marie Stopes
Digya Shrestha and Jyoti Pokharel, Dhaka Community Managers
In Bangladesh, more than a million people migrate from rural to urban areas each year, among whom almost half migrate to the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. A study conducted on the “Determinants of Rural-Urban Migration in Bangladesh” shows that migration in urban areas is in part influenced by ‘pull’ factors, like ease of access to the informal sector, the probability of a higher income, and the possibility of job opportunities in Ready Made Garment industries (RMGs). Around 1,100 RMGs employ 400,000 skilled and unskilled workers; 8 percent of migrants are influenced by the possibility of obtaining a job in an RMG sector. In these RMG industries, women make up almost 85 percent of the 2.4 million employees. However, almost 87 percent of female workers suffer from various health problems, like malnutrition, anemia, gynecological problems, urine infection, and other communicable diseases. Women workers in garment factories receive low wages and suffer from a series of health and safety concerns.
Marie Stopes Bangladesh (MSIB), established in 1988, provides sexual and reproductive health care (SRH) programs for the poor and vulnerable, like garment workers. The organization provides awareness trainings on health issues like HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and basic care during pregnancy to the women garment workers, who are often new migrants. For instance, Marie Stopes Bangladesh currently runs a “Factory Health Services” program in partnership with 100 garment factories in Dhaka and other cities. This program includes general health checkups, pregnancy and family planning services, immunizations, and other sexual health services. The program has also put in place a small clinic room within garment factories, for a fee of 12 taka per worker per month, paid by the factory.
RMG factories typically employ workers who are from low-income families, illiterate, and with limited skills, and who are therefore unable to afford visits to clinics. These health programs are able to provide the RMG workers with basic health care services at an affordable cost. Before, the majority of women did not know about reproductive health or family planning methods. The program not only taught women about their sexual health, but it also made them less reluctant to discuss it. Moreover, knowledge about family planning measures made women understand the economic advantage of having a small family. This program has therefore been very helpful in addressing poor women workers’ access to health care, although it is somewhat limited by its exclusive focus on sexual and reproductive health issues.
Photo credit: Marie Stopes
Submitted by Editor — Mon, 04/22/2013 – 00:00