WISE organized a provincial stakeholder consultation on “Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2019”. Besides representatives of govt and trade unions, a large number of women domestic workers and their union leaders from Lahore, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Toba Tek Singh joined the event.
Among main speakers were Rehana Afzal, Director Punjab Social Protection Authority, Rubina Jamil, General Secretary All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, Aima Mahmood, Director Women Workers Organization and member governing body of PESSI, Junaid Riaz Assistant Director Child Protection & Welfare Bureau, Saqlain Abbas Assistant Director Labor Department, Syed Miqdad , advocate and child rights activist, Nazir Ahmad Gazi, Executive Director GODH, Bushra Khaliq Executive Director WISE, Shahnaz Bibi, President Women Domestic Workers Union-Punjab, Parveen Latif Ansari from Parkash domestic workers union Faisalabad, Shabana Pervaiz of Lyallpur Domestic Workers Union, Nagina Sitara from Sittara Domestic Workers Union Toba Tek Singh and Zarina Akhtar General Secretary United Domestic Workers Union Kasur .
Quoting the figures from our on-going data collection exercise on crimes against DWs, WISE shared that during the period between April 2023 to July-2024 a total 39 incidences of violence against domestic workers were reported by media in the last 14 months, during the period between April 2023 to July-2024. 11 child workers were tortured to death, 5 were raped while 23 were physically beaten causing injuries. 62% of these workers were below 15 years of age.
The speakers urged the govt. to take strict action against the perpetrators of rising crimes against domestic workers, issue social security cards, implement the DWs law and enforce minimum wage notification.