Sialkot women need a hostel

Spare a thought for working women in Sialkot district and other places as they undertake long and arduous trips between their homes and workplaces — whether these are local factories, banks, hospitals or government and private educational institutions. Perhaps the longest daily journey in this regard is undertaken by a middle-aged woman who travels a combined distance of 72 kilometres to get to her workplace and back. No doubt many like her have to contend with a fair share of other hazards that are posed along their daily commute. None of these threats are more dangerous than the risk of exploitation. To shield working women from these travails, the government can at least build a decent hostel for them. This would also enable women to save hundreds of rupees that they would otherwise spend on transportation every month. Considering their meagre incomes, any such saving would come as a handy windfall.

Women in Sialkot say they would prefer to stay in the city because that would save them the trouble of uncomfortable commuting. Not many factories in the city provide transport to their workers and even those that do have probably never considered providing hostel facilities. Women on their own have tried to arrange for housing by approaching the owners of properties but their efforts have been in vain because hefty sums of money are demanded in rent. In any case these lodgings are unsafe for single women. In these circumstances it is incumbent upon the provincial government to build a proper women’s hostel. A few years ago, the provincial minister for women development had promised to construct a hostel in Sialkot but so far not a brick has been laid for that cause. While the Punjab government focuses on the repair and rehabilitation of 10 of the 16 women’s hostels in other districts, it ought to pay some attention to Sialkot.


Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2017.