58% Rana Plaza survivors still traumatised: survey

Some 58 percent survivors of deadly Rana Plaza collapse incident are still traumatised and 48 percent of them remain unemployed even after three years of the tragedy, says a survey report of ActionAid.

The findings of the survey titled ‘Three Years Post Rana Plaza: Challenges in RMG Sector’ was revealed at the city’s Brac Centre Inn today.

The survey was conducted on 1,300 survivors, mostly aged between 21 and 30, and relatives of 500 readymade garment workers who died in the tragic incident.

Presenting the report, Manager of ActionAid Bangladesh Nuzhat Jabin  said 58.4 percent of the Rana Plaza tragedy survivors are still  traumatised while psychological condition of 37.3 percent others are not fully stable.

She said the unemployment rate among the survivors has gradually decreased in the last three years. The unemployment rate was 92.5 percent in 2013, 73.7 percent in 2014, 55 percent in 2015 and 48.2 percent in 2016, she noted.

The survey shows that some 79 percent of the survivors now want to run own business for their livelihood, while five percent want to switch their job to other sectors from the garment sector and only five percent of them still have interest in working in the garment industry.

As per the report, the average monthly income of 76 percent survivors was less than Tk 5,300 in 2015.

Chairman of Ain O Salish Kendra Hameeda Hossain said the amount of money the victims are getting as compensation is not enough. The survivors should be given support for a long for their recovery from physical and psychological problems.

Additional Research Director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPB) Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem said as the compensation is being given in phases, the victims cannot utilise the money properly.

Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir said, “Though three years have elapsed, the workers are getting nothing other than financial assistance. As part of compensation, we have to work in rehabilitating them mentally, socially and financially,” she said.