Re-thinking a city born housing : for the RMG workers

Abstract

Most garment workers in Dhaka city live in inhuman conditions in the informal settlements under poverty and in a very unhealthy and miserable condition; and within this filthy situation they are paying almost half of their earnings as rent. These are the people who contribute to the success of garment economy in Bangladesh. Yet their role in the economy and their rights are overlooked by the government and the garment owners. Among these, habitation and lack of domestic spaces is one of the major concern. A widespread negligence towards the RMG worker’s housing need inhibit the prospect of finding a viable solution to this problem. Public housing schemes hardly cater for the RMG workers, and its limited provisions are grossly inadequate. Given this background, this paper has conducted a research work on the existing habitation need of the RMG workers and at the end of the study, some initial recommendations have been placed to improve the present conditions of the garment worker’s housing and their situation related with habitation, domestic spaces and spaces surrounding their living areas.