‘Govt inaction compounding plight of home-based workers’

With the government yet to act on promises to announce a formal policy for home-based workers, more than 12 million home-based workers of Pakistan, 80 percent of them women, still do not have any legal status in the country’s workforce.

Terming inaction in this regard a grave injustice to the people, speakers at a demonstration organised by the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) outside the Karachi Press Club on Thursday implored the government and other authorities concerned to immediately initiate steps to redress the workers’ plight.  

The demonstration was held to commemorate the South Asian Home-Based Workers Day and the speakers focused on the prolonged and painful wait for workers hoping for government action.

“It has now been three years that millions of honest workers in Pakistan are waiting for signatures from the competent authority on the home-based workers policy. Once this policy is signed and officially announced, home-based workers will finally get a legal status,” said a speaker.

All attendees collectively demanded of the government to waste no further time in announcing a policy for and to register all home-based workers with relevant social security institutions at the earliest.