Bangladeshi Worker Speak-Out & Fundraiser

Date: 

Thursday, April 16, 2015 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Location: 

1155 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 500 
Washington, DC 20036

 

Join International Labor Rights Forum and United Students Against Sweatshops and for an evening with Aleya Akter, the president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, and Reba Sikder, a survivor of the Rana Plaza building collapse. As Aleya and Reba finish up a series of college campus speaking events, they're in DC to share their experiences working in the garment industry in Bangladesh and to talk about their ongoing fight for workplace safety. Come meet Aleya and Reba the evening before they head back to Bangladesh! 

Aleya Akter is a 29-year old garment worker and union leader. She is the general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), one of the leading garment worker unions in Bangladesh, and she is also the president of her factory-level union. She has worked with both BGIWF and the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity to help lead the struggle for safe and dignified working conditions in Bangladesh.  

Reba Sikder is a 20-year-old survivor of the April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza building collapse – the deadliest disaster in the history of the global garment industry. At the time of the tragedy she was working at Ether Tex Ltd, one of the Rana Plaza factories, as a sewing machine operator. When the building collapsed, she was trapped in the rubble and rescued after two days. She is still waiting to receive the full compensation that she is owed. 

All are welcome to join. Wine and snacks will be provided. Suggested donation $10 at the door, all proceeds go to the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. 

Organized by United Students Against Sweatshops and International Labor Rights Forum.