Dear Friend,

We are inviting you to join us for the Justice for Jeyasre Global Vigil on April 21st at 10am EST / 7:30pm IST / 2pm UTC.

Today marks the three month anniversary of the horrific murder of Jeyasre Kathiravel, an Indian Dalit woman who was a garment worker and union member organizing against gender-based violence and harassment at a major Indian garment manufacturer which has business with many major U.S. and European fashion brands. As reported in the Guardian, Jeyasre faced months of sexual harassment by her supervisor before he murdered her in January. Since her death, twenty-five other women garment workers at the same factory have since come forward publicly describing a culture of gender-based violence & harassment at the particular unit where Jeyasre worked, Natchi Apparels.

On this anniversary of her death, Jeyasre's family, her union the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU), The Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), Global Labor Justice-International Labor Justice (GLJ-ILRF), National Organization for Women (NOW), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) of the AFL-CIO, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), The International Dalit Solidarity Network, Global 16 Days Campaign coordinated by Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL), and other allies call on you to join the global vigil to honor the life of Jeyasre and to show solidarity with her fellow garment workers who continue to organize for an end to gender based violence and harassment in global garment supply chains.

On the eve of this announcement we are heartened by an important step forward. Jeyasre’s family reports that a mutually agreeable resolution on compensation has been reached. They thank all who contributed to the process that reached this resolution. As they continue to mourn, this compensation will provide much needed relief for the family going forward.  

In the meantime, we remain committed in an ongoing dialogue with brands, the supplier, and TTCU towards an enforceable agreement to end gender-based violence and harassment and freedom of association where Jeyasre worked through prevention, monitoring and remediation. 

Please register to join us for the vigil here. The vigil will be held virtually on Zoom, livestreamed on Facebook and projected in the ,workers' community.

We look forward to you joining us and gender justice and labor rights organizations from around the world honoring Jeyasre’s life and standing in solidarity with her struggle to end gender-based violence and harassment! 

In solidarity, 

Sam

Jobs With Justice