Peasant leaders decry plight of women in Sindh’s agriculture sector

Women and girls as well as the health, education and agriculture sectors of the province have been bearing the brunt of social, economic and political systems controlled by feudal and tribal lords who dominate legislative assemblies and bureaucratic structures.

Akram Ali Khaskheli, the president of the Hari Welfare Association, said this on Thursday while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.

He lamented that due to the non-implementation of pro-peasant and rural workers' laws, women in rural areas were being victimised in every aspect of life, and suffering social, economic and political injustice.

He pointed out that the Sindh Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 2015 had not been enforced, resulting in peasants having to approach local courts each year to secure the release of family members from the custody of landlords.

Khaskheli shared that between 2013 and 2023, a total of 12,116 bonded labourers were freed from the agriculture sector, 33 per cent of whom were women. These women had to bear the true burden of debt bondage, enduring humiliation at the hands of landlords and their families, he said, adding that they were economically exploited, physically abused and deprived of their rights to education, voting and choosing their spouses.

The press statement further said that while district vigilance committees were formed under the Sindh Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, they have failed to play any meaningful role in rescuing bonded labourers or assisting those who have been released on the orders of local courts.

Samina Khaskheli, joint secretary of the Azad Hariani Labour Union, said that while the Sindh government had set a minimum wage of Rs37,000 per month, agricultural and female workers continued to earn less than Rs10,000 per month despite working for 12 hours a day. She criticised the government for neglecting the issue.

She stated that women in the districts of Tharparkar, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Dadu, Jacobabad and Badin lived in deplorable conditions with little to no access to health and education services.

Many participants shared that despite the assurances under the Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Act (SWAWA) 2019, women received only Rs5,000 per month for their extensive labour in the cultivation process, especially for tasks such as chilli picking, cotton picking, date processing, and cultivation of bananas and wheat.

The devastation caused by the 2022 floods had worsened the women’s plight, she said, adding that due to the incompetence of both the Sindh and federal governments, many farmers and labourers had lost their homes with their livestock perished.

Hasna Chand, president of the Latif Hariani Labour Union, said there were no solid plans for the economic recovery of agricultural and labouring women who continued to suffer from poverty and hunger. She noted that women in Sindh’s farming and labour sectors were severely impacted by malnutrition leading to an increase in anaemia and other nutrient deficiency diseases.

Chandan Malhi from the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) highlighted the critical situation regarding women's rights in Sindh, emphasising the need for proper implementation of women's rights laws.

According to a statement issued by the organisers of the press conference, women registered under the Benazir Income Support Program faced humiliation while queuing at centres and banks.

The peasant rights activists said there had also been little progress in the implementation of the Sindh Tenancy Act 1950, which outlined farmers' rights. It was recommended that permanent labour status be granted to farming and labouring women, along with access to social security, health care, education and insurance.

They also expressed concern over the Sindh government’s failure to implement the amendments it made in 2021 to the Sindh Water Management Ordinance (SWMO) 2002 for ensuring women's representation at all levels of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA).