THEIR bodies coated with disease, filth and humiliation, sanitation workers unclog gutters without any protective gear. Pakistan’s unsung essential service providers often die in sewers as poisonous gases block their breath. A report by Amnesty International and the Centre for Law & Justice has underlined the deep-seated prejudice based on caste and faith that not only stigmatises a line of work, but also enables social alienation. The Islamabad High Court has declared that the constant deaths of “Christian labourers engaged in manual scavenging” violates fundamental rights, indicating the state’s failure to uphold “constitutional obligations”. The court also instructed the government to take immediate protective measures for sewerage workers in the country. It was an encouraging directive, although the universality of rights goes beyond individual belief.

Sadly, it took a public interest petition seeking safety protocols, a ban on manual scavenging, and legislative reforms for sanitation workers’ mistreatment to be put under the spotlight. The 2024 Citizens’ Commission for Equality and Human Rights annual report says every year some 100 workers die in gutters. But in the absence of the relevant laws and political will, verdicts can neither undo demeaning treatment and hazards nor curb systemic marginalisation. If caste-based discrimination is not prohibited by law, biased hiring and lack of social protection, healthcare, safety and employment security will exist. Minorities’ integration into the mainstream as truly equal citizens will only prevail when those in the highest positions of power are held accountable for illness, injury and exclusion. The government is obligated under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and domestic labour laws to ensure safe working conditions for its people. Moreover, the state has not honoured its constitutional duty towards its religious communities. As a result, they have been vulnerable to every grave transgression. Continued silence is dangerous because it can be read as sanction for discrimination.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2025