Karachi, The Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) convened a working women’s conference on Friday, urging the Sindh government to commence the registration process for home-based workers. The demand came in light of rising numbers of women in the global workforce, especially those operating from home.
According to a news release by Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), The conference, commemorating the international day of home-based workers, took place at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. It drew a considerable turnout of working women from various sectors, including those who work from home. Zehra Khan, the general secretary of HBWWF, presided over the event, with esteemed journalist and progressive intellectual Mehnaz Rehman moderating.
Prominent speakers included Saria Feroze from the Home Based Workers Federation, Sabaghi Bheel of the Agri General Workers Union, Shahida Noor, Fatima Majeeda from the Fisherfolk Forum, journalist Lubina Jarar, transgender activist Hina Pathani, Dr. Momal Nasir, among others.
Participants highlighted that the global tally of women workers is on a rapid incline. Out of approximately 260 million home-based workers worldwide, women constitute 57%, equating to 147 million. A significant portion, about two-thirds or 168 million of these workers, are situated in Asia. Aside from conventional sectors like textiles, garments, shoemaking, jewelry, and food, the prevalence of home-based workers is growing in unconventional areas such as airline and automobile part manufacturing, electronic assembly, and pharmaceutical packaging. Advanced nations are also witnessing an increase in home-based work in IT, telecommunications, telemarketing, and technical consultancy, particularly post-COVID.
Despite their substantial contribution to Pakistan’s economy, working women face numerous challenges, including denial of basic rights. They remain unregistered with social security establishments and frequently earn below the government-sanctioned minimum wage. An alarming revelation indicated that women typically earn 30 to 40 percent less than their male counterparts. In the backdrop of a workforce of over 10 Crore in Pakistan, where half are women, such discriminatory practices are especially concerning.
In a staggering revelation, the conference disclosed that nearly 75% of working women globally contribute 12.5 billion hours daily without compensation, equivalent to an annual $10.8 trillion—thrice the value of the global technology sector.
The event also touched upon grave subjects like workplace sexual harassment and discrimination against women, children, and the transgender community.
In a poignant moment, the conference dedicated its proceedings to the Palestinian freedom movement. Attendees observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of the martyrs of Gaza and expressed deep condemnations against the actions of Israel, the USA, and the UK in Gaza.
Concluding, the assembly vocalized multiple demands. These encompassed the elimination of all discriminatory laws against women, instituting equal pay for equal work, establishing anti-harassment committees and daycare centers in workplaces, ratifying ILO Convention 177, and ensuring minimum wages for home-based workers, among others.