Rumana’s ‘Sweatsoap’ Blog
Rumana works at a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh that produces clothes for Dutch brands and retailers. In her blog entries, she discusses not only her living and working conditions, but also what she likes to do in her free time (watch Hindi films) and her life history. Photos of her bed, kitchen and shared bathroom add to the blog entries, offering a concrete image of one garment worker’s life.
The blog is intended to close the gap between a typical Dutch consumer and the 47 million workers like Rumana, who work in garment factories around the world. It is also a call to action: visitors are urged to send an email to Dutch clothing brands to demand a living wage for garment workers and they are invited to ask Rumana questions. Within days of the website’s launch Rumana was asked whether her daughter would likely become a garment worker; if there were other job opportunities for her in Bangladesh; and what kind of clothes she likes to wear.
As yet, the blog is available only in Dutch. But if the first ‘Sweatsoap’ proves a success, stay tuned for more.