International Labour Organization PAKISTAN ASIAN 2006 DECENT WORK DECADE 2015 Recognising and Supporting Home-based Workers South Asian Regional Consultation on National Policy for Home-based Workers in Pakistan Women's Employment Concerns and Working Conditions in Pakistan (WEC-PK) Recognising and Supporting Home-based Workers South Asian Regional Consultation on National Policy for Home-based Workers in Pakistan Women's Employment Concerns and Working Conditions in Pakistan (WEC-PK) Copyright © International Labour Organization 2010 First published 2010 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. 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ISBN: 9789221232346;9789221232353 (web pdf) ILO Office for Pakistan-Islamabad; Recognising and supporting home-based workers : South Asian Regional consultation on national policy for home-based workers in Pakistan (2010, Islamabad, Pakistan). work at home / woman worker / equal rights / working conditions / employment policy / informal economy / plan of action / Pakistan 13.03.2 ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. 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Catalogues or lists of new publications are available free of charge from the above address, or by email: [email protected] Visit our website: www.ilo.org/publns Printed in Pakistan FOREWORD Pakistan is one of the Asian countries that have large number of women engaged in home-based work and this sector has expanded at a fast pace. This expansion can be linked to the globalization of industry and the search for efficient means of production through low cost labour. According to a World Bank study, over 10 million women in Pakistan are engaged in home-based work in sectors like garment, bangle-making, shoe-stitching, embroidery, carpet weaving etc. In spite of their contribution in economy being 60 percent, these women still do not have social and legal protection and are the most unprivileged among the society. Unlike other types of workers, home based workers (HBWs) do not have any access to social security benefits and have long working hours with no Operational Safety and Health standards at their work area. Furthermore, labour laws of Pakistan do not include the HBWs. These workers are neither covered by the definition of 'worker'. The primary goal of the International Labor Organization (ILO) is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain Decent Work, which is comprised of four objectives: employment opportunities, rights at work, social protection and dialogue. To achieve these objectives, freedom, equity, security and human dignity are necessary conditions for Decent Work. Decent Work is the opportunity for productive work in which rights are protected, adequate income is generated, and sufficient social protection is provided. The ILO believes that Decent Work must be available to every man and woman, in both formal and informal economies including the HBWs. The global report of the ILO for 2011 specifically focuses on the workers in the informal sector of economy, and the HBWs are major fraction of this sector. Given the significance of the contribution made by HBWs, it is imperative that Government of Pakistan ratifies the ILO's Home Work Convention (C177) to recognize the social and economic value of home work and thereby urge employers to improve the working conditions and provision of social and legal protection for home-based workers in the country. This report summarizes the efforts during the long journey to highlight the issues of HBWs, and need for policy to protect their labor rights. I congratulate the HomeNet Pakistan and SUNGI Foundation on their successful endeavors in highlighting the unprivileged status of HBWs at the national level and calling for their social protection through putting together the “National Policy for Home-Based Workers in Pakistan”. The ILO is committed to advocate for the ratification of the ILO's Convention 177 and look forward that the national policy for HBWs is approved soon and gets implemented in Pakistan. Thank you. Donglin Li, Country Director, ILO Office for Pakistan iii CONTENTS Page # ! Acknowledgments vii ! Executive Summary ix ! Abbreviations xi ! Introduction xiii ! Background xv Proceedings of the South Asia Reginal Consultation on National Policy for Home-based Workers 01 Day 1 Session 1: Background and Introductory Remarks 03 Session 2: Sharing Experiences: Best Practices of Home-based Women Workers (HBWWs) in South Asia 07 Session 3: Women in the Informal Economic Sector of Pakistan: Labor Laws in Pakistan for the Workers, informal sector: Identifying the Gaps 09 Social Protection For HBWs in the Informal Economy of Pakistan and South Asia 11 Day 2 Session 4: Key features of the Draft National Policy for HBWs in Pakistan: Process of Policy Development In Pakistan 17 Pakistan-Specific Govt. Data on HBWs 19 The Constitution & Legislation 19 Conclusions 19 Draft National Policy for Home-based Workers of Pakistan 20 Concluding Remarks/ Recommendations 20 Session 5: Follow-up Plan of Action 21 Concluding Remarks/Recommendation 21 v Appendices Appendix 1 Program/Agenda 25 Appendix 2 Data on Working Women in Pakistan 28 Appendix 3 Relevant Material, Research and Findings on HBWs 30 Appendix 4 Labour Legislation and Corresponding ILO's Conventions 34 Appendix 5 ILO's Home Work Convention 177 36 Appendix 6 Legislative Response; Key Issues and Steps Taken/Underway 40 Appendix 7 Draft National policy for Home-Based Workers in Pakistan 41 Appendix 8 Profiles of Speakers 56 Appendix 9 Profile of HomeNet Pakistan 59 Appendix 10 South Asian Declaration on the Rights of Home-based Women Workers 61 Appendix 11 Details of the Participants & Resource Mela 63 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Two-day Regional Consultation on “National Policy for Home-based Workers in Pakistan” was held on October 14-15, 2008 at Dream Land Motel, Islamabad. The consultation was a collective effort of the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNIFEM, Home-Net South Asia and Aurat Foundation. As the primary organizer of the consultation, the Home-Net Pakistan acknowledges support of its partners', stakeholders, community, citizen's networks, women home based workers in making it a successful and meaningful activity. The Home-Net South Asia has especial gratitude for the trust, confidence and mutually-enriching relationship nurtured with our networks and stakeholders during this period, was the real reward of this effort. Sungi Development Foundation deserves our especial thanks for supporting the whole process of policy formulation and taking the lead among partners in drafting the National Policy. The endeavors of Ms Tahira Abdullah, her expert inputs and passionate arguments, were essential for creating an open dialogue and developing a powerful policy document. Here, we would like to express our sincere gratefulness to the Ministry of Women Development and its department GRAP who supported the whole process. We extend our profound thanks to UNIFEM and the ILO for trusting in our vision and owning it as their own. Above all, the support of Aurat Foundation, and its Regional offices, in facilitating the whole process for one and half year is commendable .Without their gracious support, it would have not been possible for the HomeNet to organize the Regional Consultation and developing the policy document for larger sharing and dialogue. We acknowledge the technical support extended by Munawar Sultana Office-in- Charge, ILO/WEC-PK Project for in compiling, editing and designing finalizing of the report. HomeNet Pakistan vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In Pakistan, out of the total working population, 80 percent has been