Today marks the 10-year anniversary of one of the worst catastrophes in the history of the textile and garment industry – the Rana Plaza disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On the 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed, trapping thousands of garment workers under the rubble. The disaster cost the lives of 1,138 people and injured over 2,500 more. The five-storey building housed eight garment factories and produced clothes for some of the biggest fashion brands.

Mousumi Begum, a Rana Plaza survivor, was working on the sixth floor of the building on the day of the collapse and was trapped under the rubble for three hours. Here, she shares her story.

“I am Mousumi Begum. Although my ancestral home is Lalmonirhat, I was born in Dhaka. I am a mother of two daughters in eight years of my marriage. My husband is a mason. Now I am a full-time housewife but ten years ago, before the Rana Plaza collapse, I was a worker at the Ether Tex Garments. On the day of the collapse of Rana Plaza, I was working on the sixth floor like any other usual day, until my whole life changed in a moment. The accident introduced a tragic chapter in my life, a chapter that has profoundly affected my daily life and family.

I still vividly remember everything about that day, even though it was 10 years ago. The heartbreaking three hours of being stuck under the pile of rubble after the collapse continues to haunt me today. Every second of those three hours I fought for my life and cried out for help.

I sometimes feel the most ironic of it all was that we got some foreshadowing of the accident the day before the incident. That day, a crack suddenly appeared on the fourth floor of our building, Rana Plaza, because of the movement of heavy machines in the building. The next day thinking about the bad condition of the building, many of us did not want to go to the factory, but our line chief forced us to come to work by stating various reasons, such as shipment is available, overtime money will be paid, etc. Forced by the pressure of the line chief, we all went to Ether Tex Garments on the 6th floor of Rana Plaza the next day as usual.

As far as I remember the terrible moment came at around 8:30 AM. Rana Plaza shook. We tried to find a safe place wherever we could and hoped to survive. To our dismay in a matter of just a few seconds, the entire building collapsed before anyone could understand anything. Though I don’t know for sure how many people in total were working in the building on that day, on our 6^th floor there were around 800-1000 people.

All of us were seriously injured due to the collapse. I was stuck and after about three hours local people managed to rescue me from the rubble. After the rescue, they tied a cloth on my head and called my parents. They came and took me to the hospital. I was badly injured as I was trapped under the rubble. This resulted in multiple stitches in my arms and legs.

Those three hours of being stuck under the pile were a harrowing experience for me. It was dark all around. People's screams and cries of "save me, save me" could be heard from all around. Right next to me, I could feel there were dead bodies of people. At one point, the hope of survival was fading, and I was wondering if I would be able to get out of this well of death at all. But because I was on the sixth floor, I was able to return alive by the infinite mercy of the Creator and the efforts of the local people. The horrible memories of those three hours under the rubble still haunt me. I feel the same fear the moment I enter or stand under a building. I constantly wonder if I will ever again have the courage to go to a building for work. That fear is exacerbated by seeing people I know who, like me, are survivors of the Rana Plaza tragedy. Apart from these psychological problems, the tragedy of Rana Plaza has also affected all of us with physical problems. Acute respiratory disease is one of them.

It was not easy for anyone who was terribly affected by the Rana Plaza tragedy to forget the gruesome memories and return to a normal life. I got to know about the government’s support from a person I know. The government and other agencies’ support helped us to slowly transition to normal life. One of them was receiving psychosocial counseling and financial support from ActionAid Bangladesh. For the last six months, I have been receiving free medical treatment from the government’s ‘Trust for Injured Worker’s Medical Care’. Also, ActionAid Bangladesh's 'Workers Cafe' has also helped us in various ways including providing training, giving counseling as well as assisting with financial support. Recently I got a sewing machine from there and I am hoping to start a small business using it. These types of support gave us the courage to stand up again and be aware of workplace safety and security.

The government and others like ActionAid Bangladesh should also come forward with the support of women working in various workplaces like me and especially in the garments sector of the country so that we can go one step further to ensure our good future. In addition, awareness programs for all garment owners need to be prioritized so that they can play a direct role with the government and other organizations like ActionAid Bangladesh for the advancement of workers by ensuring a safe workspace by initiating necessary measures such as assurance of providing safer workplace, arranging workshops and training programs, maintaining regular inspections as well as encouraging workers to report safety violations without fear of retaliation. Moreover, international fashion brands can initiate support to ensure a safer workplace for women by ensuring ethical sourcing which includes regular audits and inspections to ensure compliance with safety standards, supporting advocacy efforts which consist of lobbying for better labour laws and regulations, supporting worker-led movements, and partnering with local and international organizations to raise awareness, and maintaining transparent reporting on working conditions, wages, and safety measures.”

For more information, go to Action Aid Australia.