Local Spotlight: Building capacity for gender-sensitive workplaces in Bangladesh

In this Local Spotlight series, we highlight how STITCH and our local partners are driving impact in production countries — strengthening human rights due diligence (HRDD) systems and promoting better working conditions from the ground up.  

This time, we look at Bangladesh, where STITCH is working closely with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA), which represents approximately 2540 knitwear member factories, to promote gender sensitivity and embed effective grievance mechanisms. 

Training the trainers for real factory-level change 

In May 2025, STITCH organised a four-day residential training of trainers (ToT) for 14 staff members of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA). The aim: to build their capacity to promote gender sensitivity and effective grievance redressal in ready-made garment (RMG) factories. 

Training of Trainers on Gender Sensitivity & Grievance Redressal Resource Pack, co-organised by STITCH in Bangladesh in May 2025 

The training covered key topics such as gender and power dynamics at work, understanding sexual harassment, the role and function of Anti-Harassment Committees (AHCs), the grievance process, and how to raise awareness among workers, supervisors and management. Participants engaged in interactive activities like gallery walks, role plays and group work and were introduced to a monitoring tool to track progress at factory level. 

Training of Trainers on Gender Sensitivity & Grievance Redressal Resource Pack, co-organised by STITCH in Bangladesh in May 2025 

By the end of the training, participants were not only familiar with the Gender Sensitivity and Grievance Redressal Resource Pack — co-developed by BKMEA and STITCH members ETI Bangladesh, Fair Wear and Mondiaal FNV — but also confident to deliver sessions and support implementation in factories. 

From MoU to rollout: A step-by-step approach 

The initiative builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 between BKMEA and the STITCH consortium. What started as a plan to deliver training on gender-based violence (GBV) evolved, through joint assessments, into the co-creation of a comprehensive learning and monitoring resource pack. This was officially validated in March 2024 during a joint workshop. 

Now, the plan is being rolled out: the 14 trainers will train 100 representatives from 50 BKMEA member factories in summer 2025. These representatives will then start implementation at the factory level — developing or updating policies, setting up Anti-Harassment Committees, and raising awareness among an estimated 10,000 workers. 

Why it matters 

If the pilot proves effective, BKMEA will expand the training to all its member factories and embed the approach in its regular compliance work, paving the way for a national standard on gender-sensitive grievance mechanisms in the RMG sector. 

This collaboration supports STITCH’s wider mission: embedding rights-based, inclusive practices in supply chains, and building systems that last. This approach strengthens local ownership, supports worker protection, and offers a scalable model for change.