Garden owners must ensure proper toilets, sanitary facilities for women workers
It is quite concerning that women tea workers in our tea gardens continue to suffer due to the neglect of estate owners regarding their basic health and hygiene needs. Despite toiling from dawn to dusk, these workers receive a meagre wage of Tk 178 a day, with which they cannot even afford a proper meal for their families, let alone sanitary napkins for themselves during menstruation. Reportedly, most of them still use old, torn pieces of cloth during their periods, which is unhygienic. Moreover, there are no proper toilet facilities for them at work, and they are often forced to work through menstrual pain without any rest or medicine. Their harsh reality lays bare the deep-rooted gender inequality and systemic neglect that continue to plague the women of the tea gardens.
Our reporter talked to tea workers of Moulvibazar's Madhabkunda Tea Estate and found the alarming reality of women's suffering during menstruation due to a lack of support from the authorities. One worker, Geeta, said she often has to work through severe menstrual pain, knowing that any rest would mean losing her daily wage. When she once missed two days of work due to period-related illness, her supervisor withheld her pay for the entire week, which is shocking. The lack of menstrual hygiene, safe childbirth facilities, and proper nutrition in the gardens makes these women highly vulnerable to infections and long-term health complications. A 2017 survey found that nearly 44.8 percent of female tea workers lacked access to sanitary latrines.
The gap between policy and practice is also stark. The government's 2021 National Menstrual Hygiene Management Strategy promised that every girl and woman could "menstruate safely and with dignity," but implementation has barely reached the tea gardens. Meanwhile, social stigma surrounding menstruation further silences them, perpetuating a cycle of exploitation across generations.
It is time both the government and estate owners recognised menstrual hygiene as a right of workers. Tea estates must ensure separate toilets for women, access to clean water, affordable sanitary products, and paid medical leave for menstrual discomfort. They should also consider providing female workers with a special allowance to maintain menstrual health. Such measures would not cost much but would help improve the overall health of women workers, which, in turn, would enhance their productivity and ultimately benefit the estates. Additionally, NGOs and local health departments should work together to raise awareness on the issue and distribute reusable or low-cost sanitary pads free of charge to tea workers.