On 24 April 2013 the eight-story Rana Plaza building in Dhaka Bangladesh collapsed. The owners of a number of garment factories in the building had ignored the most basic safety regulations, and forced workers to keep working when it was clear the walls were cracking. The confirmed death toll was 1,130. Approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued. SOLIDARITY BANGLADESH INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY VISIT TASLIMA AKHTER Read More 01 / 12 . www.reallygreatsite.com Workers Solidarity (BGWS). www.aawl.org.au RUPALI AKTER Rupali Akter is a worker, activist and survivor of the Rana Plaza building collapse. She was trapped under the building for 17 hours before she was rescued. She is the current Health Secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity (BGWS). TASLIMA AKTER Taslima Akhter is a photojournalist and activist. She was onsite in the immediate aftermath of the collapse, and bore witness to the horrors that ensued over the following days, weeks, months and years. Taslima has captured some of the most iconic images of the Rana Plaza collapse, and these have been featured in many exhibitions the world over. Taslima is the current President of the BGWS. Taslima Akhter and Alan Hill co-curated an extraordinarily powerful photo exhibition of the works of Taslima herself, as well as several other activists from Bangladesh. Hosted by Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) in their Paddy’s Gallery, the exhibition ran from 28 April to 26 May. The exhibition documents the immediate aftermath of the building’s collapse, in addition to 10 years of struggle, protest and organising. Taslima’s photos are available to purchase, and all proceeds go to BGWS. For more information, contact us at aawl@aawl.org.au. THE EXHIBITION — LIVES NOT NUMBERS 28 RAFFWU welcomed Taslima and Rupali to our office in April and were rapt to be able to help support the solidarity visit.
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