akistan leads the way in South Asia in legislation for home workers. Though not enforced so far, the Homebased Workers Acts of Sindh (2018), the Punjab (2023), Balochistan (2022) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2021), provide crucial frameworks within which homebased workers are to be recognised and access fairer treatment under law. This promising policy environment has the potential to put Pakistan in a strong position, as trade with the European Union (EU) – and other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries – increasingly becomes subject to business and human rights compliance standards.

With the launch of the United Nations Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights in 2011, countries across the world have set about developing legislative and regulatory measures that seek to promote and embed human rights due diligence in supply chain management. Significantly, the European Parliament has set out its intent to arrive at mandatory human rights due diligence for all EU-based businesses.

Economic empowerment of women is intertwined with gender equality and equity, changes in policy and social structures, such as mainstreaming women agendas, labour reforms, educational, business development opportunities and autonomous decision-making.

Homebased workers constitute a large chunk of the informal economy in Pakistan. They are located in various sectors. A significant number of homebased workers are women. It is estimated that there are more than 100 million homebased workers in the world. South Asia is home to more than half this number. Nearly 80 percent of the homebased workers in the region are women.

Homebased workers across South Asia, including Pakistan, are mostly located in low-income urban localities and rural areas. They are highly exploited and invisible; and operate on the margins. Due to the invisibility of their work, they contribution is often overlooked. They form a large section of the informal sector. A majority of them live and work in the most dismal conditions. Their incomes are low with minimal or no workers’ rights and social protections. They are involved in a range of work activities from sewing garments and assembling electronic components to jobs like sorting, packaging and labelling goods. Most of the homebased workers are illiterate and unrepresented.

The ambiguous terrain of homebased work has raised questions about the reluctance shown by governments across the world to include homebased workers among workers in the informal economy. Only recently has homebased work been recognised as part of the informal economy in Pakistan. Since then, the four provincial governments have enacted HBWs laws. The implementation framework, adequate resource allocation, a road map and preparation within the concerned departments are still awaited. Meanwhile, international pressure for maintaining transparency and ensuring inclusion of third tier of workers in the global supply chain is increasing.

An initiative to support transparency, better working conditions, universal social security schemes and immediate implementation of HBWs laws in the four provinces will pave the way for more workers to enter the labour market.

The workforce involved in informal work has expanded in recent years due partly to new market forces and the introduction of new technologies. This is true for both high- and low-income countries. There is an ever-expanding percentage of ‘part time, irregular and unstable forms of work with little or no social protection’ whereas the scope of regular, stable workforce is reducing (Kabeer 2008:15).

Due to the nature of their work and workspace, HBWs cannot be directly bracketed into occupations, industries and activities. Due to these ambiguities, there is a reluctance to put them into the category of workers. With the passing of the ILO Convention No 177 in the year 1996, homebased work finally received recognition as ‘labour’. The Kathmandu Declaration in 2000 was significant in South Asia to garner commitment from various governments to support policies for homebased workers.

There are occupational health hazards associated with specific work processes. For example, chronic asthma is a commonly reported problem in clothing trades home workers who are constantly exposed to cotton dust. These workers have also reported occupational overuse injuries and eye problems. Like other women workers, many homebased workers experience the stress of the double workday, with the demands of their domestic labour and their waged labour leading to health and safety problems. Extreme physical stress is another frequently reported concern that can have health implications. A majority of homebased workers in urban settings relate that they have experienced various occupation-related health problems in the past few years.

Garments and allied embellishment workers also suffer from eye problems due to the intricacy of their work. In addition, those in the knitting and wool industry suffer from respiratory/ chest problems due to the dust that comes from raw wool. Block printing boutique workers have found that inhaling the chemicals they use for making pigments are harmful for their health. Many have suffered from hepatitis. Tiny tin particles sometimes pierce their eyes. Dust from tin sheets raises the risk of TB and cancer.

Consequently, medical treatment is one of the major expenditures in their lives. Without much savings and lacking access to social security schemes, homebased workers then have to borrow from various sources.

Regular health problems put homebased workers in a vulnerable situation. This has a direct impact on their finances and productivity. On many occasions, a homebased worker due to her/ his ill health is compelled to leave work thus putting their household in a difficult situation.

An initiative to support transparency, better working conditions, universal social security schemes and immediate implementation of HBWs laws in all four provinces will pave the way for new workers to enter the labour market. It is important to identify potential adverse impacts, adopt preventative measures through policies and measures to mitigate the adverse impacts, and foster decent working conditions for home workers.

The writer can be contacted at lailazharali@gmail.com