PM to inaugurate policy conference on home-based workers

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To develop policy on improving status of home-based women workers in five South-Asian countries

New Delhi, December 29, 2006: There are over 100 million home-based workers (HBWs) in the world, out of which, half the number are in South Asia alone. Around 80% of these home-based workers are women, most of who are amongst the poorest, the most exploited and vulnerable segment of workers today. In order to develop a policy on improving their status across the South Asia region, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Ahmedabad-based Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) are jointly organizing 'Women Work & Poverty: Policy Conference on Home Based Workers of South Asia'.

The bulk of women home-based workers producers live and work in "on-the-margin" survival conditions and do a variety of jobs for industry and trade, ranging from sewing garments, assembling electronic components to simple jobs of sorting, packaging and labeling goods. As a workforce, home-based workers are largely invisible. With the growing globalization and decentralization of production, home based work has emerged as the final link in a global chain of subcontractors encompassing a wide range of industries and services.

With participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the conference will be held between 18 and 20 January, 2007 in New Delhi. The Honorable Prime Minister of India, H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh, has kindly agreed to deliver the inaugural address on this occasion. Ministers and Secretaries from relevant ministries in the South Asian region have been invited to make presentations on Trade, Social Security and Labor Protection.

The key objective of the Conference is to advocate for making available benefits of growth to home based workers in the five countries in South Asia, in order to lift them out of poverty. Specifically, the workshop will deliberate on issues of policy for the home based workers; fair trade; social security and building voice & organizations. The conference is expected to be attended by over 120 key delegates, including senior representations from Ministries, Home-Based Workers' organizations, policy making bodies, academic institutions, NGOs, allied UN bodies, etc.