Industrialization in Bangladesh
Isabella Laufer
Bangladesh Works Salaries Go Up
Bangladesh workers rally to demand safer working conditions and death penalty for owner of collapsed factory as death toll passes 400
Six major retailers sign factory safety upgrade plan in Bangladesh
Three Pictures
US says Bangladesh factory safety shared burden of western brands
Investors worry about health and safety in Bangladesh factories
Bangladesh Building Collapse: US Consumers Must Demand Stricter Safety Standards
H&M agrees to sign workers rights agreement in Bangladesh
Five Adjectives Describing Their Situation
1. Destruction
2. Pain
3. Inhumane
4. Turmoil
5. Loss
The adjectives I chose greatly reflect the situation that many Bangladesh factory workers were in, or still are currently. They have experienced destruction of the factories they work in, destruction of their families, and the destruction of their jobs, all due to the poor conditions they lived in. The buildings within the factory were unstable and their collapse was inevitable. When they crashed down, many lives were lost and many went missing. Before they collapsed, the destruction had already begun with the terrible living and working conditions of the workers. I chose this word because destruction has two meanings in this situation, one is the physical destruction of the buildings when they fell down, and the other is the destruction of the families due to all of the poor conditions they dealt with daily. The second word I chose to describe the nature of industrialization in Bangladesh is pain. This word seemed to be fitting considering all of the events that those workers experienced throughout the events that unfolded and continue to unravel. Pain was endured when family members were lost, during the endless hours of work without sleep, or even the pain of a pile of concrete landing on you during the building collapse. The third word that I feel connects to the factory industries in Bangladesh is inhumane. The conditions that those people have to endure and work through is extremely unfair and dangerous in countless instances. Their pay is the bare minimum, and they are taken advantage of because of their desperation to provide for their families and live better lives. They are faced with sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and many possible diseases because of their work ethics and conditions within the factories. Another adjective that I think suits the situation is turmoil. The unrest and distress that has come from the building collapses, and the death toll has caused many to further question the conditions within these factories. During an interview for BBC News, Mohammad Atiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association told the reporter that, "Owners decided to close their factories on safety grounds after workers went on a rampage almost every day after the collapse of Rana Plaza." The riots and outbursts of factory workers have caused much publicity and brought a lot of attention to the conditions of factories such as these. The last adjective that I found that is very relevant to the Bangladesh factories is loss. I think that this is especially relevant because workers left their families to come and work for the factories, and when they arrived, they lost many of their rights as humans. When the factory buildings collapsed, they lost friends, and they lost the only way that they could make money to help their families. In my opinion, these adjectives seemed to reflect the situation that the workers are going through.
Bangladesh factory collapse kills at least 160
Bangladesh Factory Collapse
The Dark Side of Cheap Clothing
The Future of Labor
Bangladesh textile factories shut amid unrest
Bangladesh Factory Collapse: Gap refuses to back safety deal
Bibliography
Paragraph Sources:
1. "Fatal factory collapse must be wake-up call." The Safety & Health Practitioner July 2014: 25+. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
2. "Ketzali Accessories - Blog - Bangladesh Factory Workers' Salaries Go Up !" Ketzali Accessories - Blog - Bangladesh Factory Workers' Salaries Go Up ! Ketzali Accessories, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://www.ketzali.com/blog/2013/11/6/bangladesh-factory-workers-salaries-go-up.html
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http://www.irinnews.org/report/96466/bangladesh-urbanization-strains-health-care
National Newspapers:
1. AL-MAHMOOD, SYED ZAIN. "Alliance Sets Plan to Finance Bangladesh Factory Upgrades." Frontier Markets RSS. The Wall Street Journal, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://blogs.wsj.com/frontiers/2014/12/08/alliance-sets-plan-to-finance-bangladesh-factory-upgrades/
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Fox, Emily Jane. "Bangladesh Factory Collapse Kills at Least 160, Reviving Safety Questions." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/24/news/companies/bangladesh-factory-collapse/
3. Morrison, Sarah. "Bangladesh Factory Collapse: Gap Refuses to Back Safety Deal." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 14 May 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-collapse-gap-refuses-to-back-safety-deal-8615599.html
Video:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia-july-dec13-bangladesh_07-03/
Graph:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22513861
Photos:
1. http://www.ketzali.com/blog/2013/11/6/bangladesh-factory-workers-salaries-go-up.html
2. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/bangladesh-workers-rally-to-demand-safer-working-conditions-and-death-penalty-for-owner-of-collapsed-factory-as-death-toll-passes-400-8599194.html
3. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22513861
4. http://mic.com/articles/37507/bangladesh-building-collapse-u-s-consumers-must-demand-stricter-safety-standards
5. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-collapse-gap-refuses-to-back-safety-deal-8615599.html
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7. http://now.tufts.edu/articles/dark-side-cheap-clothing
8. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3746095.htm
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12. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2321409/Death-toll-Bangladesh-factory-collapse-site-hits-803-18-factories-closed-safety-crackdown.html
13. http://www.styleite.com/shopping/hm-bangladesh-worker-agreement/
14. http://www.ibtimes.com/bangladesh-garment-exports-rise-despite-increased-pressure-over-factory-conditions-after-deaths-1132
15. http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/24/news/companies/bangladesh-factory-collapse/