The international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch questioned the condition of the leather industries in Bangladesh by tagging an accusation of ‘systematic human rights violations’ on it.
In recent years leather industry of Bangladesh is witnessing a boom with an expectation to be worth $1 billion annually. It has emerged as a major supplier of leather for footwear, suitcases, belts and bags in the West and South-east Asia.
The Guardian reported that attention must be given to the dilapidated condition of the working environment in the tanneries. According to the report, almost all the leather processed in Bangladesh is produced from local animal hides by about 15,000 labourers in the dingy neighbourhood of capital’s Hazaribagh.
The report blamed the tanneries for not renovating the condition and as a result huge quantities of toxic wastes are being discharged into river Buriganga.
According to the report, residents and workers of Hazaribagh area hope that the industry would come into global attention after huge number of casualties under the debris of Rana Plaza.
European buyers and diplomats have recently sought detailed condition of the tanneries from local authorities and business organisations, says The Guardian report.
‘We have been contacted by a number of firms via concerned ministry, seeking assurance of a better factory condition,’ said Mohammed Abdul Hai, head of the Bangladesh Tanners Association.
‘We assured them the problem would soon be resolved,’ he added.
Mohammad Abdul Hai told The Guardian he had lessened the buyers concern through reassuring them that the
tanneries would move to a new purpose-built complex on the outskirts of the city next year. The zone would be equipped with a waste treatment plant and conditions for
workers would be improved. ‘The new factory zone will maintain the international standards and rules,’ told Hai to The Guardian.
‘Any concerns about environmental compliance in the tanneries will be resolved soon,’ said Belal Hossain, president of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods & Footwear Exporters Association.
In spite of a series of court rulings since 2001 requiring the government to move the tanneries or shut them down, the expensive relocation scheme has always been repeatedly delayed. There is a
little sign that the land allocated for the new factories is prepared, said The Guardian.
-With New Age input
