Editorial
What a barbaric act!
It must not go unpunished
The death of a young garment worker in the city's Mirpur area has raised a flurry of questions, each of them having something to do with the way garment workers are treated, their fundamental rights violated. The lad was reportedly lynched after being found wearing a T-shirt produced in the factory. It was taken as a case of theft by the security personnel who summarily did him to death.Now, the history of the garment workers' woes is a long one. They were killed in fire, building collapse and resultant stampedes, and there were nothing more than words of consolation for the victims and their families. The worker might have done something wrong; but why this lynching? There were many ways to deal with the problem. He could have been reprimanded, if found guilty, or even made to pay a fine from his abysmally low salary. But killing a boy for a shirt worth Tk 60 smacks of a mindset that is barbaric, to say the least. It is this attitude towards poor workers that is highly reprehensible -- and we find it utterly unacceptable. The killers didn't even bother to consider the fact that it was a pretty cold day and the boy might have just acted out of an anxiety to protect himself. Something that is worn on the body was so visible that it wasn't meant to be stolen. What could be more tragic than this kind of violence on a poor worker? The management must see to it that such a violation of human rights never happens again and that the perpetrators are legally proceeded against for the kind of punishment that they deserve. The owners of garment industries should think in terms of adopting a more humane policy towards the workers. Their anti-pilferage measures must not include brutal attacks and oppression on the workers. It is more than a legal need.
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