LAHORE: On eve of International Women’s Day, HomeNet Pakistan paid special tributes to those thousands of women workers who are silently contributing their share in country’s economy.
HomeNet Pakistan and other civil society organisations demanded home based workers policy and its implementation.
Addressing a press conference here the other day, HomeNet Pakistan and other civil society leaders said that delay in approval of HBWs policy and legislation had compromised the interests of millions of HBWs living in the province and put them in a helpless situation. “It is the time to give protection to the home-based and domestic workers who constitute majority of the informal economy of Pakistan,” they said.
“Now this is the right time to take forward the slogan of this year IWD and become bold for getting rights, Each one of us , can be a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity equal rights , fair wages. Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over,” said Ume Laila Azhar from HomeNet Pakistan.
“HomeNet Pakistan welcomes the approval of domestic workers policy in Punjab and home-based workers policy in Sindh”, said Azhar. “But at the same time delay in HBWs Policy in Punjab has created frustration among the workers who are anxiously waiting for their registration as workers. This was the commitment of Punjab government in 2012 women empowerment package,” she added.
Maria Kokab added, “The provincial policy on home-based workers is intended to develop strategies, plans and programmes for the protection and promotion of rights and benefits of the HBWs. The policy is based upon the guidelines and salient features of the draft National Policy on the HBWs as formulated by the federal government.”