LAHORE: Speakers at a ceremony stressed on respect for men and women performing sanitation duties and called for rules and regulations to uphold the dignity of their work.

“Three years ago, we launched a campaign, titled ‘Sweepers Are Superheroes,’ to remove the stigma associated with sanitation work and improve their overall working conditions,” Centre for Law and Justice (CLJ) founding director Mary James Gill said while addressing the ceremony, organised under the aegis of the CLJ to acknowledge the services of sanitation workers and to recognise efforts of the volunteers associated with a campaign to bring dignity to this work.

The event was the second of its kind in which “Dignity Awards” were given to sanitation workers to mark the Punta del Este Declaration on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere. Workers from all the four provinces participated in the ceremony.

Ms Gill said though sanitation work was essential, the workers were disrespected.

“Deaths are routine and workers are dehumanised at workplaces; hence, their deaths do not matter to most of us in society,” she bemoaned.

Pakistan Ulema Council Vice Chairman Allama Zubair Abid said: “Who is more civilised? The one who is spreading garbage or the one collecting and cleaning it? We stand by sanitation workers because our religion also preaches promotion of cleanliness.”

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Vice Chairman Sheikh Imtiaz said sanitation workers were faced with negative attitudes and the agency was working to deal with this challenge.

PTI MPA Sadia Sohail Rana, former PML-N MPA Saira Iftikhar, PTI MPA Sadia Taimur, journalist Ajmal Jami, Samuel Pyara, Kashif Nawab and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2020