How could DIFE not know that so many children were working there?
Children made up more than half of the total workforce employed at the Shezan Juice factory in the Rupganj area of Narayanganj
While it has been claimed that 52 workers died on the evening of July 8 when a fire broke out at the six-story Shezan Juice factory in the Rupganj area of Narayanganj, I do not believe this figure is accurate.
There were at least 1,200 people working in that building, and 40% of them had died. Children made up more than half of the total workforce employed in that building. If I'm wrong about these numbers, I'd like to ask them to come forward and share their database or logbook to prove otherwise.
It is said that no dead bodies were found on the fourth and fifth floors. How is this possible? How did people get to the top floor then? Was not the factory operating in full swing that day?
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In reality, many more people were burned and turned into ashes. We have no reason to believe the numbers that have been presented.
Surprisingly, the factory's owner refused to accept responsibility. Rather, he is acting insensitively and blaming the workers for the incident. His assertions defy logic.
We would never have known that this factory employs a large number of child labourers if this incident had not occurred. Neither the factory authority nor the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) had notified us about these child workers. How could DIFE not know that such a large number of child labourers were working there? This has occurred because we do not respect our workers or their efforts.
Fortunately, our garment industry has improved slightly. It is also due to the pressure exerted by international buyers. We do not have any credit for that either. However, I believe that we have become biased toward the garment sector. Because all of our attention is focused on it, the industrial sector operates unchecked.
The DIFE has completely failed to fulfil its duties. Why didn't they try to find the NIDs of the workers? Perhaps they were not included as child labourers so that the factory could compel them to work a full shift. The presence of corruption in the entire incident is obvious.
Is the Shezan Juice factory the only place in our country where children are exploited or labour insecurity exists? No. Hundreds of private factories operate in this manner. These are being deliberately ignored. The problem is that we tend to forget about these incidents as soon as they stop making headlines. Thus, the root of the problem remains largely unresolved.
The six-storey building was actually a warehouse, but it was used as a factory and contained combustible substances. The staircase was only five feet wide, despite the fact that it was supposed to be at least seven feet wide.
It was said from our Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarter that there was no fire safety. This begs the question of how such a large number of workers could have been working in such a dangerous environment. It was simply because the majority of them were children who were unaware of their basic safety and security.
However, lax implementation of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 is also a key reason. The law states that a fourteen to eighteen-year-old adolescent can work in a factory under certain conditions that ensure their security and safety. It is also clearly stated that an adolescent should not be involved in any dangerous job. These provisions, however, are widely ignored and misused.
When we protested against this law, we were told that it would be changed soon, but that day never came.
Quamrul Ahsan is an Advisory member, BILS and President, Jatio Sramik Federation
