Members of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, civil society organisations, labour and trade unions and human rights activists called on Friday for the establishment of hari courts and making district vigilance committees (DVCs) functional immediately, so as to put an end to the violation of peasants' rights.
The demands came during a joint press conference, held in relevance to the Hari Welfare Association (HWA) report titled 'The Status of Peasants in Sindh, 2019," released on Tuesday.
Addressing the press conference, the speakers stressed the need for restarting the land distribution scheme, which was initiated by the Pakistan Peoples Party in 2018 but was discontinued for unknown reasons.
Speaking in reference to the Sindh Industrial Relations (SIRA), 2013 - providing agriculture workers the right to unionise - and the more recent legislation on the rights of female agricultural workers, they lauded the Sindh government's efforts in lawmaking, but pointed out that more attention needed to be paid towards implementation.
For the purpose, institutional mechanisms needed strengthening, the speakers emphasised, highlighting the fact that rules of business for SIRA had yet to be framed.
According to them, the undue delay has caused confusion about the law's implementation, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Similarly, they said, the recently enacted law pertaining to female agricultural workers' rights was revolutionary, but would only benefit women when it was properly implemented.
Citing information from the HWA report, the speakers expressed worry over the continued prevalence of bonded labour and lamented that though laws against the practice existed, there was no implementation.
Calling for making DVCs immediately functional across 29 districts of Sindh, they said that agricultural workers - accounting for 38 per cent of the province's workforce and numbering at 15.9 million - were faring far worse than others, with women and children among them suffering the most.
Children working in fields were more vulnerable to health hazards and psychological shocks, the speakers noted, adding that already they were already robbed of education and their childhoods and did not even have access to enough food for survival.
Stating this, they further emphasised the importance of enforcing child labour laws and ensuring the provision of education to all children.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2020.
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