Women rights: Rights campaigners speak up for female workers’ protection

Labour laws in the country are inherently biased against female workers, says speaker.

KARACHI:

Labour laws in the country are inherently biased against female workers and the government is indifferent to the issues of working women.

This was said by HomeNet Pakistan regional coordinator Nuzhat Shirin. She was speaking at a media briefing on labour laws under the Gender Equity Programme organised by HomeNet Pakistan in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Aurat Foundation at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday.



According to Shirin, women working at offices, homes or factories are all working women and it is the government’s duty to protect them. “It is the responsibility of the labour department to collect the data of women working in all sectors of life to improve their working conditions,” she said. “The condition of women working as maids is more problematic. Why are there no laws or proper policy for them?”

A brief planning of the GEP was also discussed. “The objective of the GEP is to improve the condition of working women since the government is taking no interest,” said Shirin. “There are no first-aid facilities, anti-harassment policies and working committees for working women.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2014.