Awareness session to empower home-based women workers held in Karachi

Govt to establish council to identify home-based workers that will look after their remuneration

A special session was organised on Friday aiming to empower home-based women workers.

During the event, the former joint director of the labour department Gulfam Nabi Memon spoke about the Sindh Home-Based Workers Act 2018 - which was passed by the Sindh Assembly on May 9, 2018.

The law states that all home-based workers involved in the production and manufacturing of goods or rendering of services from home will benefit.

He said the government will establish a council - comprising of representatives from various departments - to identify home-based workers from different sectors that will look after their remuneration, contracts and other rewards.

Under the law, the workers will receive social, medical and maternity benefits, along with marriage and death grants.

The Executive Director of HomeNet Pakistan Ume Laila Azhar promised to work harder to achieve similar programmes that would benefit home-based workers.

She told the representatives to play an effective role in empowering home-based female workers.

The Program Manager of HomeNet Naheed Syed stated that this is the first-ever law in Pakistan that protects the rights of home-based workers. She added that the law recognises their status.

Towards the end of the event, the local government representatives committed to working for the progress and betterment of all home-based workers.