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26 September, 2024A new women’s centre has opened in Tunis to support female workers in Tunisia’s textile and garment industry. Run under the auspices of Fédération Générale du Textile, de l'Habillement, Chaussure et Cuir - FGTHCC-UGTT and IndustriALL and sponsored by online retailer ASOS, the centre will support female workers around gender-based violence and health and safety, training and campaigning for women-related matters, especially ratifictaion of C190.
Welcoming the opening of the women’s centre, Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile and garment director, said:
“This is about shining a light on the challenges women in the garment sector face daily—whether it's issues around occupational health and safety or gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). Workers deserve access to remedies, and we are acting in line with international conventions, including ILO C190, to ensure taht they get that."
FGTHCC-UGTT general secretary Habib Hazemi stressed the need for awareness raising and educating women workers about their rights.
IndustriALL regional secretary Ahmed Kamel said:
"This is another step forward in the implementation of our action plan to support women workers in the industrial sector and a unique initiative to use the GFA in the region. Our sister leaders of IndustriALL MENA women network and IndustriALL Tunisian women network fight every day for more space for women. We trust that this new centre will contribute to the promotion of women's actions and the workplans of the respective women's structures."
Emphasizing ASOS’ commitment, as well as the importance of the centre, Ceren Isat from ASOS’ human rights department, said:
“We’re proud to be part of this project. This will be a place where women can access the support they need, including legal advice, and feel empowered to stand up for their rights,”
In 2017, IndustriALL signed a global framework agreement with ASOS. The women’s centre is part of a larger effort, ensuring women in the garment sector have the support they need to fight for better conditions and fair treatment. ASOS’s sponsorship of the women’s centre aligns with the company’s Fashion with Integrity strategy, which aims to address human rights issues throughout its supply chain.
Speaking about the company's broader goals, Adil Rehman, head of human rights at ASOS, said:
“For us, it's not just about ticking a box when it comes to corporate social responsibility. We’re committed to making real progress by investing in resources on the ground and ensuring long-term sustainability."
He added that the growing demand for transparency and ethical practices from younger customers—aged 20 to 25—has also driven ASOS to focus on these issues.
“It’s about prevention, transparency, and creating a level playing field. We want to ensure the industry moves in the right direction, with mandatory legislation that protects workers and ensures their voices are heard.”
Unions unite for women’s rights
The centre was opened during the MENA textile workers’ week, which included a women’s meeting and session on promoting women engagement and leadership in TGSL unions.
At the meeting, global issues facing women in the garment industry were brought to the forefront. Delegates from across region and Africa spoke about the harsh realities women face.
Women union leaders from Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan emphasized women’s exposure to violence in the workplace and the need for creating space and power for women inside the unions, as well as in the workplace. There is not enough legislation protecting women, and where there is, enforcement is often lacking. Unions are calling for the ratification of ILO C190.
A representative from Mauritius pointed to the poor sanitary conditions in some factories, where hundreds of workers are forced to share a single toilet.
In Lesotho, sexual harassment and exploitation is rife in the industry. Last year, the country ratified ILO Convention 190 and a new occupational health and safety law has been introduced. This, along with national committees focused on ensuring compliance in companies, is giving trade unions the tools to fight back.
Lieketseng Leteka from Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho provided key points on the need to ensure an enabling environment for women workers to report violence and harassment at work. She noted that it is important to make women feel safe by establishing a system that takes into account workers native languages, provides expert councilors/educators and a functioning grievance mechanism.
