Two-day long workshop for tea Garden women workers in Sylhet.

On May 30-31, 2025 Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO) successfully organized a two-day workshop titled “Legal Rights, Social Services, and Creating a Discrimination-Free Workplace for tea garden women workers in Sylhet”. The event took place in a conference room at a hotel in Sylhet city, bringing together key government officials and community stakeholders.The workshop was inaugurated with a welcome speech by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh, Executive Director of ECDO, who emphasized the importance of inclusive dialogue, legal literacy, and access to public services for the betterment of tea garden communities.

Throughout the two days, participants engaged in informative sessions led by notable resource persons: Dr. Swapnil Sourov Roy, Medical Officer, Sylhet Civil Surgeon Office, Mr. Bisheswar Singha, Senior Assistant Judge & District Legal Aid Officer, Sylhet; Mr. Md. Abdul Mannan, Upazila Youth Development Officer, Sylhet; Ms. Sahina Akter, Deputy Director, Department of Women Affairs, Sylhet and Mr. Mohammad Nazim Uddin, Assistant Director, District Social Services Office, Sylhet.

Each speaker provided valuable insights into the roles and services of their respective departments and shared how tea garden women workers can access health, legal aid, youth development, women’s rights, and social welfare services. The sessions also addressed challenges such as workplace discrimination, limited access to legal support, and gaps in awareness about available public services. The workshop aimed to bridge these gaps by fostering direct communication between service providers and the workers.

This initiative is part of the “Leadership Development of Tea Garden Women Workers on Their Rights” project, implemented by ECDO with the support of Oxfam in Bangladesh and co-funded by the European Union (EU)