SOWK 675.S1 Advanced International Development Modules. Key Words: Bangladesh; disaster; Savar; relief and rescue Submitted by Bayo Ogunbote Faculty of Social Work Master of Social Work (MSW) Program University of Calgary April 15 th, 2015
Summary of Case Context: Early morning of Thursday, April 24 th, 2013, Savar town, Bangladesh, witnessed a major building disaster which occurred at the Rana Plaza building. Rana Plaza is owned by Sohel Rana who is a leading member of the local youth wing of the Awami ruling political party in Bangladesh. Rana Plaza is an eight storey building that housed more than 5000 factory workers that includes under aged and family men and women who worked low wage jobs (Motlagh& Saha, 2013:64). Saini (2013) in his article reported that Rana Plaza was leased to four major factories operators. They are New Wave Style, Ether Tex, Canton Tech Apparels and New Wave Bottoms.. The factories in this building manufacture apparels for brand names like The Children s Place, Loblaw Companies Limited (owners of Joe Fresh, Canada) Benetton, Primark and Walmart (Motlagh &Saha, 2013, p.70). Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world; an industry of $20 billion, second largest employer of labor in the country (Saini, 2013).Rina, one of the factory workers died in the disaster. She is the mother of two girls and a surviving husband. She worked in the factory passing materials to sewing operators for 5,000 taka ($62) a month. She was the breadwinner of her family. According to the Washington post, September 2013, of the 1,131 confirmed dead, only 777 have received settlements from the Bangladesh government ranging from $1,250 to $5,000. Over 4000 of the families affected by this disaster are yet to receive full compensation from the government or association as reported by the Bangladesh Institute for Labor, a labor advocacy organization. (Cited in Washington post, September 2013).
Analyses of the issues raised in the case report. This case report will be analyzed based on the issues and contextual situation as it affects the people of Savar, the roles government regulatory bodies played, the owner of the factory and the participation of brand name companies from the west who traded heavily with the factory owners. Two frameworks will be used in this analyses. The first is from the Disaster, Conflict and Management (DCM) module and the second from the Tools for social Change, Field Methods, and Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). The two frameworks sheets will be attached as appendixes to this paper. The DCM will employ the Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) tool using the Crunch Model Framework and the Field Methods Module will employ Sustainable Livelihood Framework. One theory that readily comes to mind that fits into this case study is the Social Exclusion Theory. Pierson (2002) in his definition of Social Exclusion (SE) submits that SE process deprives individuals, families and groups of the resources required for their participation in social, economic and political activities. It s a consequence of poverty, low income, low educational attainment and cuts people off social network and developmental opportunities [cited in Mathieson,J.,Popay,J.,Enoch, E.,Escorel,S.,Hernandez,M.,Johnston,H.,&Rispel,L(2008:86)] The summary definition from Pierson is a very good indicator to describe the circumstances individuals, families and groups experience in the Savar disaster. Families went through hard times in their recovery process especially for those who have not been compensated one year after the disaster happened.
Why VCA tool, Crunch Model Framework? In their discussion paper and workshop report (Davis, Haghebaert, & Peppiatt, 2004) on Social Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis workshop in Geneva mentioned that the Crunch model was first introduced by Ian Davis in Shelter after Disaster in 1978 but was further refined in 1994 in Piers Blaikie, Terry Cannon, Ian Davis and Ben Wisner s book: At Risk, Peoples Vulnerability to Natural Disasters. The model is descriptive rather than being an assessment tool. (p.14). In the same report (Davis, et al., 2004) reported that the objective of VCA is to identify specific vulnerable groups, individuals (like Savar victims of disaster) based on key social characteristics as gender, age, health status, disability, ethnicity etc. It also analyses livelihood, occupational activities that increase the vulnerability of certain households. Vulnerability by its nature is always area specific and localized (p.3).this is very true in the case of Savar. Furthermore, capacities assessment on the other hand aim to identify diverse resources for community coping strategies,local leaderships,social capital that may contribute to risk reduction efforts,community preparedness stocks,a local evacuation plan etc.(davis, et al.,2004:3) The table below provides some statistical information about the community of Savar. Boys% Girls% % Primary School net intake rate 76.2 69.7 Pre school attendance 18.1 29.0 % of children of secondary school age 41.8 37.0 Attending secondary school Proportion of pupils starting Grade1 Who reach grade 5 50.2 73.5
Primary school dropout rate 4.6 2.6 Secondary school dropout rate 6.2 7.8 % of women who are literate age 15-24 72.5(278) % of women age 15-24 who have 11.5(278) Comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS Proportion of children <5 years whose Birth has been registered 33.3(Registered) 64.0 Not Registered Proportion of population using Improved drinking water source Piped into yard (7%) Protected well 0% Protected Spring 0% 65.1% Proportion of population using Improved sanitary facility Access to information and 35.4% Communication Access to education 14.5% Shelter 42.91% Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), 2009.Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, Progotir Pathey Volume 2, Dhaka Division. http://203.112.218.66/webtestapplication/userfiles/image/mics/mics-ii-dhaka.pdf The Crunch model addresses three basic elements as progression of vulnerability. Root causes, Dynamic pressures and unsafe conditions (See attached appendices 1) Root Causes: One of the root causes in this case could be traced to lack of government insensitivity in enforcing compliance and controls around regulations for building codes and safety. The case context mentioned that the owner of the plaza was so influential that law enforcements and regulatory bodies were unable to stop him building the plaza during construction with absolute knowledge that he was using substandard materials and violating building codes. A number of public officers received bribes from him at the risk of the lives of human beings who became disabled, partially or permanently and those who lost their lives in the disaster.
Poverty is another root cause in this case given the number of women to the ratio of men who worked in the factory. In his research article on Women and poverty in Bangladesh (Alam, 1985) observed that women who are heads of household are not gainfully employed in the right type of jobs, which results in majority of them taking to tedious, time consuming menial jobs especially for those of them who are landless (p.368).this is typical in the case of Savar why we had more women in the disaster than men. Rina s income of $62/month (5,000 Taka) is not a living wage as reported in the case. Table 1 above showed that there is a high percentage of literacy among the women, yet a lot of them live in poverty. The level of literacy should transcend into better jobs and more opportunity in the community. This was not the case. Dynamic Pressures: Lack of local institutions and freedom of press are two factors that resonates in this case context. One of the article cited in the case clearly indicated only two general hospitals exits in Savar at the time of this disaster. A number of the victims of the disaster could not receive the help they needed at some point because of inadequate number of hospitals and manpower in proportion to the number of victims. Some bodies were recovered from the site of the disaster eight days after the disaster due to lack of manpower and the right type of equipment s for resue.its most disheartening to note that the Bangladesh government refused international rescue missions external help when the disaster happened. Unsafe Conditions: This aspect of the framework (see attached appendix) highlights Physical Environment (Unprotected building); Local Economy (Low income level); Social Relation (Lack of local institutions) and Public Actions (Lack of disaster preparedness) in the case of Savar disaster. Inability of government regulatory bodies to enforce safety codes and standard led to the death of victims of the disaster. A community where someone worked for $62/month (5000
Taka) is an indication of low income level in that community. There are no social support systems to alleviate or reduce the level of poverty for low income families. There are very few local institutions available in the community of Savar.Hospitals (general and teaching), homeless shelters, for profit and nonprofit institutions and agencies that can provide psychosocial education and psychosocial support for victims of the disaster. The city lacks adequate disaster manpower and equipment s to help in the immediate evacuation of victims of the disaster. Community members provided the help they could render to rescue victims. This paper will be integrating the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) with the VCA (Crunch Model, Progression of Vulnerability). Why SLF? The SLF tool was developed in 1999 by Department for International Development (DFID) from a government white paper report in an attempt to address poverty in poor countries to enhance policy and practice.slf is putting people at the center of development ( (Department of International Development(DFID), 1999). It is used to analyze the livelihoods of the poor and also an effective tool to reduce poverty. The framework view people as operating in a context of vulnerability. In their workshop report (Davis et al.,2004) provided a linkage between VCA and livelihood where it identified key components of livelihood are present in VCA(p.6).This attest to the fact that the VCA and SLF have something they share in common in pre and post disaster situations. This analyses will look at the vulnerability context, livelihood assets, transforming structures and process and livelihood outcomes as it relates to the case context. VULNERABILITY CONTEXT:
SLF argues that peoples vulnerability are affected by trends, shocks and seasonality(dfid,1999,2.2).population and resource trends are two most important factors that affected the livelihoods in Savar. The increase in population trend and inadequate resources to cope with the number of population in the community deepened the level of poverty. Seasonal employment and non-availability of food to victims of the disaster are typical characteristics of what happed in Savar. LIVELIHOOD ASSETS: SLF view livelihoods in five categories for every human being. These are human, natural, financial, social, and physical capital. It may be important to note that not all disaster situations will experience all the livelihood assets stages in a given situation. It depends on the context and the environment where the hazard or disaster occurred. This paper will analyze the human and social capital as it affects Savar community. Human Capital: The SLF summarizes human capital as health, labor, skills and knowledge that enable people to pursue different livelihood strategies to achieve their livelihood objectives. Two questions the SLF asks in the human capital analyses are those of education and access to information. Savar people have limited number of educational institutions compared to the population. Figure 1 indicated that only 14.2% of the population have access to basic education. If there is limited access to education, human capital will be hard to build especially where access to information in Savar is poor given the response time from when the disaster happened, how it was reported and the help that came. Social Capital: SLF defines social capital as social resources upon which people draw to achieve their livelihood objectives through networks, membership of a formalized groups and
relationship of trust. Social capital as it affects Savar community had been explained earlier in the paper with the social exclusion theory. INTERVENTION DESIGN: As a social worker working in the community of Savar, I ll be more interested in early intervention strategies for the families who lost their loved ones in the disaster and also have a short /long term intervention plan for this community in transforming structures and processes. Psycho Educational Support/Community Resources: The first part of this assignment quoted Abdus Sabur who said Mental health is not taking seriously. People are not focusing on the psychological aspect of the victims of the disaster. People in the community need to be connected with community resources to access psychosocial interventions for their healings from trauma and anxiety. This will include victims families and those who had witnessed the disaster. Referring community members to appropriate resources to meet their immediate needs will be a priority as an intervention strategy. Community Organizing: My intervention will be in ensuring that all local community organizations are properly organized in collaboration with the community leaders in a way to build social capital and elect the right leaders within their organizations. This will help them project their agenda and fight a common course on behalf of the community. Most pressing issues within the community could be addressed with the appropriate community and government agencies. The outcomes of the
community organizing will also attract key ministries and municipal agencies of government to create space and dialogue on post disaster situations. Social Justice: Social justice is one of the core values of social workers. The case clearly indicated that there was human negligence on the part of the factories owners when they threatened workers to come to work despite that cracks were reported in the building a day before the disaster. Advocate for programs that will support women and their families as they constitute the greatest number of the work force in the garment sector of the economy. Bangladesh trades over $12 billion annually and employs more than 400,000 people with over 40 to 50 million people dependent on this sector of the economy (Chowdhury, 2013). The SLF substantiate the relationship between assets and vulnerability context that assets are both destroyed and created as a result of trends, shocks and seasonality. (DFID, 1991:2.3).If over 40 to 50 million people are dependent on this sector of the economy for daily sustenance, then, government policy on investment in basic infrastructural development in this sector is not negotiable and should be considered a priority. I will also advocate for issues on wages, labor reforms, working conditions especially for women, collective bargaining dialogues with operators, promoters and retailers of the garment industry through their association and improve safety conditions. The SLF also notes that people s ability to escape from poverty is dependent on their access to assets (DFID, 1999:2.3) Also, I will advocate through the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the government departments dealing with corporations to ensure that corporations invest some percentage of their profits in social programs as part of their Corporate
Social Responsibilities (CSR). This will go a long way in improving family s assets and access to resources in the community.
References Alam, S. (1985). Women and Poverty in Bangladesh. Women studies international forum, 8(4), 365-371. Retrieved from http://ac.els- cdn.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/0277539585900172/1-s2.0-0277539585900172- main.pdf?_tid=ac0c12c6-d9bd-11e4-bd13-00000aacb360&acdnat=1428037118_764102ea8d3ca0961d90daf1c50e2f82 Chowdhury, Z. (2013, May 5). Savar Tragedy:Garment Industry must be saved,phasing our errants. Dhaka, Bangladesh: The Finacial Express. Davis, I., Haghebaert, B., & Peppiatt, D. (2004). "Social Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis" Workshop. Geneva: PROVENTION PROJECT: TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENT & ACTION PLANNING. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/82297/viewcontent/1388560/view Department of International Development(DFID). (1999). Sustainble Livelihoods Guidance Sheet. DFID. London: DFID. Retrieved April 5th, 2015 Ian Davis, B. H. (2004). TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENT & ACTION PLANNING. Social Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis. Discussion Paper and Workshop Report, PROVENTION PROJECT, Geneva. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/82297/viewcontent/1388565/view Motlagh, J., & Saha. A. (2014). The Ghosts of Rana Plaza. Virginia Quarterly Review, 2(90), 44-89. DOI: 10.1353/vqr.2014.0029
Mathieson,J.,Popay,J.,Enoch, E.,Escorel,S.,Hernandez,M.,Johnston,H.,&Rispel,L.(2008). Social Exclusion Meaning, measurement and experience and links to health inequalities. A review of literature. WHO Social Exclusion Knowledge Network Background Paper 1. Saini. M. (2013).Apparel Factory collapse: Latest Bangladesh Tragedy.Womens s Wear Daily (WWD).Academic OneFile Appendix 1