Empowerment of Women workers in the garment industry in Myanmar

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“Striving for living wages” was a common denominator at the project lab of sequa at the European Development Days 2018 titled “Empowerment of Women workers in the garment industry in Myanmar”.

Since 2013 sequa runs the SMART Myanmar project which promotes sustainable consumption & production of garments. Compliance with social and environmental standards and improving working conditions are the main activities. SMART Myanmar, which is funded under the EU SWITCH Asia Programme, developed APPs to inform women workers about their legal rights and occupational health and safety issues via gamification in cooperation with other donors. Ms Simone Lehmann, Project Director from sequa presented the lessons learnt regarding this digital solution to women empowerment, which reached already over 12 mio people in Myanmar.

Su Mon Thair, Project Manager Smart Myanmar, Ms. Wai Wai Lwin, Garment Worker and Than Dar Ko, Director Thone Pan Hla, Local NGO presented the Concept of Sunday Café to the interested audience at the project lab on the 6^th of June. These are safe places where female workers have a chance to relax, stay, inform themselves about their rights and seek legal counsel.

Mr Jonah Wigerhäll, Sustainability Business Expert, Stakeholder Engagement H&M, discussed vividly with the audience on issues of living wages and corporate engagement in sustainability and women empowerment.

Dr. Christiane Beck, session organiser from sequa concluded “that these innovative approaches for reaching out and educating women workers in the garment industry were really beneficial.”

For further information please contact Christiane.beck@sequa.de

See also 

http://www.switch-asia.eu/projects/smart-myanmar-ii/

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