KARACHI: Home-based women workers on Sunday organised a rally outside the Karachi Press Club demanding an end to harassment at workplaces and ensuring standard structure of wages.

The rally was organised by the Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) in connection with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

A sizeable number of home-based women workers and female workers related to various industries took part in the protest. HBWWF’s general secretary Zahra Khan led the rally.

Addressing the rally, speakers said the number of women workers in Pakistan had been on the rise.

They also referred to a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that said the number of women workers in garment sector alone had increased by 33 per cent.

One of the speakers said that sadly women workers were facing violence and discrimination in all forms and manifestations, which was affecting their social and economic life.

Ms Khan said in Pakistan gender-based violence was a reality, and society overall justified it on the basis of traditions, culture, beliefs and morality.

She said the Constitution gave equality to citizens and abolished gender-based discrimination. “The silence of the government and society over violence and discriminatory treatment to women, which is violation of human rights, is a serious matter. Occurrence of these incidents is increasing rapidly and no practical steps are seen to end this menace.”

She said the National Assembly had passed a bill against harassment of women at workplace in 2010 but it had not been implemented as yet.

United Home-based Garment Workers Union’s general secretary Saira Feroze said maltreatment of women at workplaces was still in vogue and women workers were given less wages as compared to male workers for the same labour. “Mostly, women work on contract and are deprived of all legal and constitutional rights.”

Saeeda Khatoon, chairperson of the Association of Affectees of Baldia Factory Fire, said as work was being shifted from formal to informal sector, working women were kept further away from realisation of their legal and constitutional rights and they could not knock the door of the courts.

“There is no law to govern their wages. Their wages are determined by the contractors and middlemen at their sweet will, and when they demand increase in their wages, they are threatened to be sacked,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2018