Reduce the risks of young women workers in Textile Industries in Namakkal District
​From September 1, 2015, WORD has started a new program along with two other NGO partners to reduce the risks of young women in the Textile Industries in Namakkal District with the financial support from Freedom Fund.
Under this project, WORD works in 50 villages in the textile bound area of Pallipalayam and Tiruchengode Blocks in Namakkal District. It is a new initiative designed by Freedom Fund to ultimately provide better protections to vulnerable populations to prevent cycles of exploitation.
The major activities under this project are awareness generation, formation and promotion of community support groups, formation and promotion of adolescent groups, medical care for the adolescents, to support mental health support for the adolescents and their family members, career guidance for adolescents, impart life skills education, Conduct Film Based Curriculum to get away the risks on children exploitation in all forms, co-ordination with Government Departments Trade Unions, Mill Owners, Education Support to the adolescents to encourage their higher studies, provide job oriented vocational training programs, conduct medical camps for the adolescent girls who go to the mills, Setting up of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in the textile industries, Promotion of Micro Entrepreneurial Services, form and promote Multi Stakeholder Initiatives (MSI) to address the issues related to the risks of young women in the Textile Industries and have set up 50 children resource centers in the 50 working villages in Namakkal District.
Coordinated interventions also includes:
Engaging with communities to improve access to education, training, and employment opportunities, and reinforcing community structures and social services to reduce vulnerability among adolescent girls and young workers,
Working with district and state-level authorities to strengthen worker rights
Help families develop better economic opportunities and reduce their reliability on moneylenders and enable the government assistance schemes reach them effectively.
​The officials from Freedom Fund, C &A Foundation and Geneva Global visited the project site to Pallipalayam on 28 October 2015 & 13 September 2016.
The officials from International Development Studies (IDS) based at Sussex University, UK along with their local partner, PRAXIS have done the scoping visit to the project site on 10th Dec 2015 to understand this hotspot program and the context of the issues of bonded labour in the textile industry. They had interacted with the Community Support Group & the young mill workers in the Textile Industries.
As part of this project, WORD has organised a consultation program on Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016 on behalf of Tamilnadu Interim Working Group for NGOs working in Namakkal, Karur, Trichy, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri Districts on 30 March 2017 in Namakkal.
WORD has conducted an awareness rally to mark the International World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2017 in Pallipalayam on 30 July 2017.
WORD has conducted the legal awareness camp in Pallipalayam in partnership with District Legal Services Authority, Namakkal on 21 August 2017.
As part of the Project Activities, WORD is also working with the Textile Industries to set up Internet Complaints Committees (ICC) in pursuance of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and. Redressal) Act 2013. WORD is also a member of the Local Complaints Committee in Namakkal District as part of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and. Redressal) Act 2013. WORD is closely working with the Department of Social Welfare in Namakkal District in this regard.
In co-ordination with the co-working NGO partners and District Social Welfare Department, WORD organised an orientation meeting to the Mill Managements on Internal Complaints Committee and Hostel Registration on 27 September 2018 at Namakkal.
The official launch of the Program in Namakkal District | Career Guidance Program for Adolescents | Film Based Curriculum to get away from various risks of exploitation | Internal Complaints Committees in Textile Industries | Medical Camps for Adolescent Girls | Legal Support for the victims | Mental Health Support for the Beneficiaries.