According to experts, due diligence should be mandated rather than remain voluntary in Bangladesh's apparel business.
They also stated that companies should be required to comply with issues such as forced labour, workplace safety, and environmental protection.
They were speaking at a plenary session titled "Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence" at the fourth edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum, which took place in the capital on March 16.
They also asked the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media, civil society and the private sector to work together on this issue.
During the session, US Embassy in Bangladesh Labor Attaché Leena Khan stated that she would recommend to the government an enabling environment for labour protections, which would include labour law reforms such as the Bangladesh Labour Act, as well as the export processing zone labour act and importantly, implementation ensuring that trade unions are able to register without fear of retaliation or appraisal.
“Strong protection is also necessary to communicate more broadly to the international community that Bangladesh can be a real leader when it comes to strong labour right,” she added saying that it would not only prevent future issues about sanctions but also unlock better economic opportunities.
In his speech, Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, director general (Economic Affairs Wing) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Bangladesh is definitely working with partners on a lot of these issues.
“Human rights are the main part of our DNA and we should not feel any way defensive or apologetic about our human rights and performance. That should be a clear message,” he added.
He also stated what Bangladesh expects from its overseas allies, stating that when they interact with friends, they often notice a lack of trust.
“We are ready to work on all kinds of legal and policy reforms and our industry leaders continually say that more than the number of trade unions, we need quality trade unions,” he added.
Bernard Spanier, deputy head of delegation, EU Delegation to Bangladesh and Jasmin Malik Chua, sourcing and labour editor, Sourcing Journal also spoke at the event while Mohamad Anis Agung Nugroho, programme manager, Better Work Bangladesh, moderated the event.
Syed Fazle Niaz, team leader of the ILO Better Work Programme, presented the keynote.
