Tahmina Rahman
General Secretary Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation – BAWF
- Today, I rise not only as a participant in this great meeting, but as a voice for millions whose hands stitch the fabric of the global economy—yet whose children are still fighting for the right to hold a book.
- On Bangladesh and Garment Workers
Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest exporters of ready-made garments, employing nearly four million workers—most of them women. Their labour sustains global supply chains and fuels an industry worth billions of dollars annually.
Yet we must ask: Are the children of those who power the global fashion industry equally empowered through education ?
- Human Rights Foundation
In 1948, the world adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 26 declared that everyone has the right to education.
Everyone.
That includes the daughter and son of a sewing machine operator.
- The Reality
Bangladesh has achieved near-universal primary enrolment and important progress in gender parity.
These achievements are commendable.
But enrolment is not completion.
Access is not quality.
Attendance is not opportunity.
Children from low-income, labour-dependent households still face dropout risks due to economic hardship and social vulnerability.
- Corporate Responsibility
If global brands benefit from Bangladesh’s workforce, they must also share responsibility for the future of that workforce’s children.Corporate responsibility cannot end with factory audits. It must include: Living wages
Education support in industrial zones
Scholarships for workers’ children
Transparent and ethical supply chains
Long-term investment in community schools
A supply chain is not only a chain of production—it is a chain of human lives.
- The Moral Call
Education is not charity.
Education is not a privilege.
Education is dignity.
No child’s future should be determined by their parent’s position in a supply chain.
No global brand is truly global unless it stands for global human rights.
- Commitment
Let us commit today—
To education that is universal.
To responsibility that is shared.
To dignity that is non-negotiable.
Thank you & Best Regards
