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Report: Dhrubotara Catering Initiative and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1.0 Executive Summary

This report analyzes the case of Dhrubotara, a catering company established in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by female migrant workers who returned from Saudi Arabia. The initiative demonstrates a powerful grassroots contribution to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing issues of gender inequality, poverty, and exploitative labor practices.

2.0 Background

On March 11, 2020, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the catering company Dhrubotara was documented in operation. The key details are as follows:

• Organization: Dhrubotara, which translates to “the star never stops sparkling.”
• Founders: A group of female workers who returned to Bangladesh after experiencing abuse and wage theft from their employers in Saudi Arabia.
• Business Model: The company operates as a catering service, providing a source of sustainable income for its founders.

3.0 Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The Dhrubotara initiative directly addresses and promotes several key SDGs through its mission and operational framework.

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • The enterprise is a clear example of female empowerment, founded and operated by women who have overcome gender-based exploitation and abuse.
   • It provides economic independence, enhancing the founders’ agency and resilience against future vulnerabilities.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The founders’ previous experience represents a severe violation of decent work principles.
   • By establishing their own company, they are creating a safe and fair work environment, directly contributing to Target 8.8 (Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments).
   • Their story highlights the urgent need to achieve Target 8.7 (Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking).

3. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • Having returned with little or no wages, the founders were in a state of extreme economic precarity.
   • The income generated from the catering business is a direct mechanism for poverty alleviation for the women and their families.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The initiative actively reduces economic inequalities faced by a marginalized group—female returnee migrant workers.
   • It serves as a model for empowering vulnerable populations to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article highlights issues that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on the content, the following SDGs are most relevant:

   • SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article focuses specifically on “female Saudi-returnee workers” who were abused and are now empowering themselves by founding a business. This directly relates to ending violence against women and ensuring their economic empowerment.
   • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The core of the article revolves around labor issues. The women were “abused by their Saudi employers” and denied their “wages,” which are violations of decent work principles. Their response, founding a “catering company,” is an effort to create decent work and achieve economic growth for themselves.
   • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The situation described, where migrant workers are exploited and left vulnerable, is a clear example of the inequalities that SDG 10 aims to address, particularly concerning the rights and protection of migrants.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Several specific targets under the identified SDGs are relevant to the experiences of the women described in the article:

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. The article’s statement that the women were “abused by their Saudi employers” directly points to this target.
   • Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking… The combination of abuse and returning with “little or none of their wages” are strong indicators of forced labor and exploitation, which this target aims to eliminate.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment. The entire narrative is a case study of the failure to protect the labor rights of female migrant workers, making this target highly relevant.
   • Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people… The negative experience of these workers, who were abused and unpaid, highlights a breakdown in the systems meant to ensure safe and responsible migration.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article is a qualitative snapshot and does not provide quantitative data. However, it implies the need for specific indicators to track progress on these issues:

   • Implied Indicator for Target 5.2: The mention of “abuse” implies the need for an indicator such as the “Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months.” While the context is employer-employee, the principle of measuring violence and abuse against women is the same.
   • Implied Indicator for Target 8.7: The description of the women’s situation (abuse, non-payment of wages) points to forced labor. Progress could be measured by the indicator “Proportion and number of victims of forced labour,” particularly disaggregated by sex and migrant status.
   • Implied Indicator for Target 8.8: The story of these unprotected workers implies the importance of measuring legal and policy frameworks. A relevant indicator would be the existence and enforcement of laws that protect migrant workers, especially women, from abuse and wage theft.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: walkfree.org