Around 30% of survivors of the horrific Rana Plaza collapse are still traumatised, while 42% are unemployed, even after four years of one of the world’s deadliest industrial disasters, reveals a survey report of ActionAid Bangladesh.
On April 24, 2013, an eight-storey building collapsed in Savar in one of the world’s deadliest industrial disasters
Nashirul Islam/Dhaka Tribune The report, called “Unforgettable and Unforgivable: Rana Plaza,” was launched at Brac Centre in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.
The ActionAid survey was conducted on 1,403 survivors, mostly aged below 30, and 607 families of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
The survey aimed at examining the progress in rehabilitation and reintegration of the survivors and the families.
On April 24, 2013, an eight-storey building that housed five garment factories in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, collapsed, leaving over 1,100 RMG workers dead and countless more maimed.
According to the report, 30.8% of the survivors are still traumatised compared to 58.4% the previous year, while 57.2% reported that they are more or less stable and 12% have fully recovered.
Some 13.1% of the survivors, who said their physical conditions were deteriorating, identified headaches, pain in their hands and legs, and back pain as some of the major problems, the report said, adding: “74.5% said their physical health is somewhat stable and 12.4% are completely stable.”
The survey found that 42.4% are unemployed while 57.6% survivors are engaged in various types of work and self-employment.
Of the unemployed, 41.8% plan to start a small business and 26.2% have no career plans so far.
The report also said: “97 survivors received training, 121 people received psychosocial counseling, and 115 received health support provided by ActionAid and other organisations.”
“The closure of the Rana Plaza Claims Administration may be an indicator of success in terms of completing all payments. But some argue that the payment made so far is monetary support and not compensation in real terms,” it added.
The fourth follow-up report of the organisation on the incident recommends amending the labour law, taking measures to bolster occupational health and safety, and incorporating the compensation efforts with socio-economic reality.
Also read- Owner, 40 others indicted