JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Ready-Made Garments (RMG) industry is a vital part of Bangladesh's economy and employing over 4 million workers from low-income backgrounds that generally neglects their healthcare aspects. Historically, the sector is criticized for labor exploitation, unsafe working conditions, and rights violations since there has been massive loss of lives over accidents. While compliant factories adhere to better labor standards, many non-compliant factories expose workers to poor conditions, increasing their health risks. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated vulnerabilities within this workforce, resulting in widespread factory closures and massive job losses, heightened health risks, and leaving millions of workers without wages. Although the government provided some relief, it lacked policies for job security, social protection, health services, and emergency relief. Although technology has played a critical role in crisis response and healthcare, access to these technologies remains limited for them due to digital literacy gaps. Many RMG workers primarily use basic mobile phones for communication, not for accessing health or emergency services. Therefore, there is a need to develop a sustainable system that leverages their existing technological familiarity to ensure their voices are heard.

Objective:

Our aim was to gain a deeper understanding of RMG workers' experiences based on their existing work environments and interactions with technology, healthcare management, and the impact of COVID-19 on their circumstances. By understanding these aspects, we can recommend a technology-based framework design that serves as a sustainable and contextual model.

Methods:

We conducted in-person interviews with 55 RMG workers, comprising 32 female and 23 male participants from urban and suburban areas of Dhaka and suburban Gazipur, in Phase 1, before the pandemic. The participants were aged between 18-40. We reconnected with 12 participants from Phase 1 during the pandemic in Phase 2, in addition to three stakeholders from RMG factories via one-on-one phone conversations. Each interview was conducted in Bengali, and we obtained consent to record the audio. Overall, 846 minutes of discussion were translated and transcribed. The results were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results:

We found insights into the working conditions, personal experiences, perceptions of healthcare, lifestyle choices, and technology use, all of which differed based on the type of factory which is yet not discussed together. Those employed at compliant factories enjoyed better healthcare support and utilized technology more effectively compared to their counterparts in non-compliant factories. Due to the pandemic, the situation for all workers changed dramatically, regardless of factory compliance, leading to major impacts on their daily lives, heightened health and safety worries, and a lack of emergency assistance. The RMG sector encountered a lot of challenges, underscoring the pressing need for targeted emergency relief and healthcare services for these workers.

Conclusions:

This research examined the workplace and daily lives of RMG workers, focusing on their challenges, healthcare perspectives, and technology use during the pandemic. Based on the findings, we proposed a technology-based framework design called VOICE, which connects workers to service providers through a straightforward interface. This would help reach marginalized communities during emergencies and provide essential support to improve their well-being.