Taslima Akhter

  • The life and struggle of Garment workers
  • Dream & Reality
  • Death of A Thousand Dreams
  • Portrais of pain
  • Tazreen Fire
  • The Life & Practice of Lalon Shadhoks (Devotees)

  • Bio
  • Contact

  • Song of Life
  • Interview by Karen Knorr
© 2011 - 2023

The life and struggle of Garment workers

“I wanted to be an artist by drawing and making handicraft but my dream is now ruined under the niddle of machine, under the rubble and sometimes by fire”- Lija a garment worker

With a dream of living a better life million of workers from villages gather in workers barrack in cities. Lija, Modhumala, Shomapti, Masud, Brojesshwar are among them. Among more than 4 million workers 80% are women.  Surrounding the garment industries large workers barracks have grown in Bangladesh.  Workers toil from dawn to dusk for a minimum wage of BDT3000 taka a month (less than 37 $) till 2013.  Government declared a new gross minimum wage BDT 5300 ( near about $66) , which is not sufficient for them to survive.

This 4 million workers are not more demanding. They don’t have any dream to have car-house, even any luxury item in life. They want only coarse rice-cloth and a little roof over the head to stay anyway. They want to send their children to school. They don’t want to send their children in same profession but they don’t have alternative.  How much they get from this little demand? Why their dream is being broken by struggle of daily life, by fire or by building collapse? More than 1134 workers died and several hundreds missing by building collapse on 24th April 2013, near about 112 workers died when fire broke out in Tazreen fashion on 24th November 2012.

I’ve tried to portray the life and struggle of those millions of workers specially the women.

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The life and Struggle of garment workers

Garment worker at her working place. 16 th May, 2008, Narayangonz, Bangladesh

Life & struggle of garment workers

A female worker is giving speech in a protest rally. She doesn’t hesitate to raise their demands during the emergency period. 16th January 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Life & struggle of garment workers

Garment workers are protesting the death of one of their coworker Salma. 16th January 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The life and Struggle of garment workers

Due to workers agitation in some industries, workers of rest of the factories are locked in this way by the authorities. 14th January, 2008. Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

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Portrait of a garment worker. Workers toil from dawn to dusk on a minimum wage of BDT 3000per month till 2013 (less than 37$). After December 2013, their new gross wage has become BDT 5300 (less than 66$), which is still not enough even to survive. Dhaka; Bangladesh. 24th June 2009

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Lucky (20) a garment worker is taking water from tube well. 10-12 families bound to use this tube well for washing cloths, cooking materials and other thing and for taking bath , Mirpur, Dhaka. Bangladesh. 14th June 2009

Life & struggle of garment workers

Garment workers stay in this kind of small room. Where they don’t have enough space..26th June 2009.Dhaka, Bangladesh.

8/10 garment workers family use this kitchen. 11th June 2009 Dhaka Bangladesh.
The life and Struggle of garment workers

11 member of a garment worker’s family share the same room to survive. 11 June, 2009. Mirpur;Dhaka, Bangladesh

Life & struggle of garment workers

Being unable to breast feed, this worker is bound to leave her job with a heavy pain in neck and chest. 31st August 2009. Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Life & struggle of garment workers

Crowded environment of workers dwelling. 19th June 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Life & struggle of garment workers

Very often this framed portraits turns out only on memory within some days.
18th July 2009, Dhaka.Bangladesh

The life and Struggle of garment workers

Getting prepared for the workplace.12th June, 2009. Dhaka. Bangladesh

The life and Struggle of garment workers

Marriage ceremony; 10th April,2008. Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

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Garment workers are watching tv with family members That is a one of famous entertainments for them. They don’t have any private life because they have only one room to live. . Dhaka. Bangladesh 6th march 2009

Life & struggle of garment workers

. “I wanted to be an artist drawing and making handicrafts but my dream is now ruined by a sewing needle”- Lija. Liza, an 18 years garment worker makes this craft by her own self. . Mirpur; Dhaka; Bangladesh. 6th June 2009,

portraite

Portrait of a garment worker named Lija Akhter (18) who works as an operator for last three years. 3 members of her family work in garment along with her. Sawrapara, Mirpur, 5th june 2009

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A wounded garment worker named Mijan is in Dhaka medical hospital , who has gotten brain injury by firing of police shotgun in Ashulia garment workers movement; Dhaka;Bangladesh. 28th June. 2009

The Life and Struggle of garment Workers

The day after the fire burnt out in inside of Ha-Meem garment .Ashulia, Savar, Dhaka.15th January 2010

The Life and Struggle of garment Workers

The dead body of Vartex garment worker Beauty who died after the torture of factory administrators. According to her fellow workers, she was thrown from the roof of the factory.23rd July 2010

The Life & Struggle of Garment worker

Garment workers don’t hesitate to raise their demands in emergency period and in front of military. 15th January 2008, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The life and Struggle of garment workers

Along with Army-Police and RAB hired goons batter the agitated workers,30th April, 2010. Mirpur,Dhaka, Bangladesh

The life and Struggle of garment workers

Tear shell, colored water from water cannon and abandoned sandals are the witness of the atrocities that have been lashed out over the workers.
30th June, 2010, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Life and Struggle of garment Workers

The piled up dead workers in the morgue. In the life and death they remain huddled together. 21 garment workers died when fire broke out in Garib and Garib garment. , Gazipur, Bangladesh 26th February 2010

The life and Struggle of garment workers

A garment workers dead body in Dhaka Medical Hospital mourge, who died by the tourture of police named Saiful Islam
Mamun from Ashulia garment movement. Dhaka Medical hospital,Dhaka, Bangladesh. 28th June 2009

Life & struggle of garment workers

The fellow apparel workers of Salma stage demonstration. Salma, a worker of Esco garment in Mirpur Shawrapara died in her illness while she working mandatory overtime. 15th January 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh