In a country where nearly 85% of the workforce remains informal and women’s labour is still largely invisible, a quiet but reckoning is underway. From tea gardens and fishing communities to private households and home-based garment units, women workers are stepping out of anonymity and into collective leadership—challenging exploitative systems, demanding recognition, and reshaping the meaning of work, dignity, and rights in Bangladesh.
The event From Shadows to Leadership, held in Dhaka on December 10, marked not an ending but a turning point—bringing together voices from the margins and institutions from the centre to demonstrate how organised women, supported by civil society and accountable partnerships, can transform silence into power and lived experience into lasting change.
The event was held under the Empowering Women Through Civil Society Actors (EWCSA) project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Oxfam, along with 33 civil society organisations.
The gathering unveiled a photo storybook featuring ten inspiring journeys of women from these sectors and reinforced the urgent need for sustained unionization to strengthen collective bargaining power.
Baseline findings revealed deep marginalization: only 0.73% of women had formal contracts, 85% lacked awareness of their rights, and most had never connected with civil society organizations.
Through partnerships with 33 organizations over five years, EWCSA created lasting networks, associations, and leadership pathways. It directly empowered 45,000 women, equipping them with skills for advocacy and negotiation.
At the heart of this transformation lies unionization. Women have built collectives that enable them to bargain collectively for better wages, workplace safety, and social protections.
Domestic worker Putul Akhter from Barisal powerfully expressed her awakening: “I never knew my own identity until this project showed me I had one. Once humiliated and unseen, we now demand legal recognition, contracts, and the dignity every worker deserves.” She elaborated on the practical impact, saying, “After joining the organization, I realized that we too are workers, and we too have rights. The fact that I am paid for my work and that it deserves respect has given me the greatest strength. In the future, we want domestic workers to have legal recognition so they don’t lose their jobs when they take leave due to illness or personal emergencies.” Her demand was reflected in the amended Bangladesh Labour Act 2025.
Tea garden worker Shila Kurmi from Sylhet voiced the daily hardships and aspirations of her community: “We demand a living wage, labour law implementation, safe healthcare, decent workplaces, and education—not as favours but as rights.” Drawing from her own struggles, she added, “I myself was a victim of child marriage. I have struggled immensely to stand where I am today. Through the project, we realized that awareness of our rights creates the power for change. Every day we work in the tea gardens under sun and rain. Even after picking 23 kilos of tea leaves, we earn only Tk176. With this income, it is impossible to cover school fees, healthcare or basic household expenses.” She directly appealed to authorities: “Our demands are simple—raise wages, ensure better medical facilities, and declare tea garden schools as government schools. Only then can our daughters rise through education.”
In fisheries and home-based garment sectors, similar collectives have achieved commitments for ID cards for women fisherfolks, and pushed for safer conditions and formal supply chain inclusion.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director of BILS and former head of the Labour Reform Commission, emphasized the need for broader solidarity: “Women workers in these four sectors have little legal protection. For this, we all need to work together. True change requires both organization and movement.”
Farida Akter, Adviser at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, highlighted systemic reforms in her video message: “Tea garden workers, fisherfolk, domestic workers, and home-based RMG workers are marginalized. Their contributions must be formally calculated and recognized through identification and policy change. We must also shift the public mindset and expand media engagement, so rights move from paper to practice.”
Michal Krejza, Head of Development Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, acknowledged progress while stressing sustainability: “Women from the EWCSA project are making an outstanding impact, and it has strengthened the systems that make rights real. Progress for workers is clear but unfinished. Lasting change demands stronger enforcement, wider social protection, sustained women’s leadership, and locally owned reforms to ensure every woman can stand in the light.”
Laila Jesmin Banu, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation, underlined the importance of ongoing support: “Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations is crucial to carry forward these gains and ensure women’s voices continue to shape policies.”
Oxfam Country Director Ashish Damle reflected on the broader awakening: “When people awaken, there is much to say and even more to do. We are now in a phase of possibility—integrating technology and building on this awareness to empower communities with sustainable, independent futures. True sustainability means moving from support to self-reliance for workers.”
Programme Director Mahmuda Sultana framed the issue as a national imperative: “Ensuring workers’ rights in an independent Bangladesh is not only a responsibility—it is a moral obligation. Millions of women workers in fisheries, tea gardens, home-based garment production, and domestic works form the backbone of our economy, yet their stories, struggles, and contributions remain largely invisible.”
Rasheda K. Choudhury, Executive Director of CAMPE, called for political integration: “Forums, partnerships, and meaningful engagement with political actors are essential—especially now—to ensure women workers’ rights are clearly reflected in national manifestos.”
Roksana Sultana, Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, shared insights from the ground: “Empowerment of women workers is impossible unless we understand their real, lived challenges. While working with tea garden women, we found that being a worker often means being exploited—and if that worker is a woman, the exploitation runs deeper. When they learned to voice their own problems and seek solutions through better WASH facilities, safer work environments, and minimum dignity, that is where the journey of empowerment truly began.”
Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, Chairman of ISISC, praised the bridging role of civil society: “CSOs are playing a catalyst role, bridging the gap between marginalized workers and state institutions to ensure rights awareness and accountability.”
Shammi Laila Islam, Country Representative at The Carter Centre in Bangladesh, focused on a foundational need: “Women workers must have reliable access to information to fully participate in advocacy and claim their entitlements.”
Shahajadi Begum, Programme Coordinator at Oxfam in Bangladesh, stressed higher-level action: “Strong political commitment is essential to ensure women’s advancement and justice in Bangladesh’s economy.”
The event’s unified consensus called for enforcing labour protections, expanding identity and social protection coverage, and embedding women’s associations within institutional frameworks for lasting leadership.
Despite achievements, challenges persist—gender-based violence, implementation gaps, and economic vulnerabilities. Sustained unity through collective bargaining remains the path forward.
EWCSA leaves a profound legacy: women have moved from isolation to organized, united fronts, demonstrating that collective strength is indispensable for achieving equitable and enduring change.
 | “Tea garden workers, fisherfolk, domestic workers, and home-based RMG workers are marginalized. Their contributions must be formally calculated and recognized through identification and policy change.” – Farida Akter, Adviser at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock |
 | “Women from the EWCSA project are making an outstanding impact, and it has strengthened the systems that make rights real. Progress for workers is clear.” – Michal Krejza, Head of Development Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh |
 | “We are now in a phase of possibility—integrating technology and building on this awareness to empower communities with sustainable, independent futures.” – Ashish Damle, Country Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh |
 | “We are trying to reduce the equal pay disparity between men and women workers. Our Minimum Wage Board is ensuring fair pay for women tea workers. It is possible because they have a voice now.” – SM Anamul Hoque, Director, Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Employment |
 | “We know very little about the workers behind the products we use every day — tea, fish, and clothing. While millions of women workers are driving this country forward, very few come forward to speak for their rights.” – Mahmuda Sultana, Programme Director at Oxfam in Bangladesh |
 | “Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations is crucial to carry forward these gains and ensure women’s voices continue to shape policies.” – Laila Jesmin Banu, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation |
 | “Empowerment of women workers is impossible unless we understand their real, lived challenges. While working with tea garden women, we found that being a worker often means being exploited and if that worker is a woman, the exploitation runs deeper.” – Roksana Sultana, Executive Director of Breaking the Silence (BTS) |
 | “In future, we want domestic workers to have legal recognition so they don’t lose their jobs when they take leave due to illness or personal emergencies.” – Putul Akhter, AVAS (Barishal) |
 | “Every day we work in the tea gardens under sun and rain. Even after picking 23 kilos of tea leaves, we earn only Tk176. With this, it is impossible to cover school fees, healthcare or basic household expenses.” – Shila Kurmi, RWDO (Sylhet) |
 | “No single organization or individual can advance the struggle for workers’ rights alone. Labour movements, human rights groups and civil society must raise a united voice.” – Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director of BILS & Former Head, Labour Reform Commission |
 | “Women workers must have reliable access to information to fully participate in advocacy and claim their entitlements.” – Shammi Laila Islam, Country Representative at The Carter Centre in Bangladesh |
 | “CSOs are playing a catalyst role, bridging the gap between marginalized workers and state institutions to ensure rights awareness and accountability.” – Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, Chairman of Informal Sector Industry Skills Council (ISISC) |
 | “Forums, partnerships, and meaningful engagement with political actors are essential—especially now—to ensure women workers’ rights are clearly reflected in national manifestos.” – Rasheda K Choudhury, Executive Director of CAMPE |
 | “The EWCSA project was crucial in creating demand side for the informal women workers, speaking for those neglected. It is essential that the workers unite if they want to be self-reliant.” – Nazrul Islam, Executive Director, Research Evaluation and Development Initiative (READI) |
 | “Strong political commitment is essential to ensure women’s advancement and justice in Bangladesh’s economy.” – Shahajadi Begum, Programme Coordinator at Oxfam in Bangladesh |
 | “We did not possess the knowledge to fight for our rights. But the EWCSA project has shown us the right path. It helped us to work collectively, make decisions, and bargain with other leaders at courtyard meetings.” – Ranjida Begum, Worker Leader (Fisheries), KMSS |
 | “For 9 years, I was paid low wages but didn’t even know they were lower than what men received. Now we know about labour laws and leadership skills. I want to break barriers and prepare others like me.” – Rani Khatun, Women leader (homebased RMG worker), BLF |
 | “The formation of the national non-organized women workers forum poses a ray of hope for the 85% informal and marginalized workers across the country. We have to change our own luck to move things forward.” – Abul Hossain, Coordinator, Domestic Workers’ Rights Network (DWRN) Bangladesh |
 | “Our lack of confidence is a societal failure. Women workers must be united and they must force others to listen to them. External aid helps in the short term, but we have to prepare to move forward without any aid.” – Gita Rani Adhikari, Regional Advisor, Feminist Local Humanitarian Leadership, Asia |
 | “What we are witnessing is not only women claiming rights, but society rethinking how work, value, and leadership are defined. When informal women workers organize, they go beyond wage bargaining: they reshape power relations, influence policy, and show democracy deepens when invisible voices are heard. Advocacy and communications are key.” – Md Sariful Islam, Head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy & Media (ICAM), Oxfam in Bangladesh
|
