A conference o­n ‘National Policy for Home-based Workers’ was held at Ashoka Hotel in the Indian capital of New Delhi o­n January 18-20. A total of 47 participants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal attended the conference. From Bangladesh, home-based worker leader Dilruba Anguri, Joint Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and other home-based workers in the country participated in the workshop. Decisions taken in the workshop are including the rights and concerns of home-based workers mentioned in the Strategic Action Plan as priority issues in the upcoming SAARC Summit in April 2007, for mulating national policies for home-based workers, increasing trade opportunities for home-based workers by exclusive retail platforms and trade promotion initiatives, ratifying ILO Convention 177, supporting Development of the SAARC Gender Database to include data o­n Home-Based Workers and recognizing HomeNet South Asia as a representational body of home-based workers.

Cabinet Secretary of India Sh BK Chaturvedi o­n January 19 formally launched HomeNet South Asia (HNSA), the apex federation working towards strengthening home-based workers organizations and networks in South Asia. Chaturvedy chaired the valedictory session of the three-day policy conference o­n home-based workers of South Asia that concluded in Delhi o­n 21 January 2007. In the year 2000 the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) held their first regional conference o­n home-based workers in Kathmandu, resulting in the famous Kathmandu Declaration. UNIFEM and Indian Trade Union SEWA have worked to organize home-based workers. HomeNet South Asia has federated networks of organizations in the five countries. It has emerged as a dynamic and vibrant network representing over 500,000 home-based workers from the region. In order to boost its advocacy efforts o­n a global level, HNSA has forged partnerships with several agencies, including US-based ‘Women Informal Environment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), to highlight needs of urban informal sector workers, with Geneva-based Global Labour Institute (GLI) for the ILO Convention and with UK-based Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) for fair trade policies.

Speaking at the conference Dilruba Anguri, General Secretary of Bangladesh Homeworkers Women Association (BHWA), said a sample survey conducted by BHWA shows that the number of home-based workers in Bangladesh is approximately tree crores. These home-based workers are remarkably contributing to the National Economy and employment with a view to alleviating poverty. Consciousness among the home-based workers in Bangladesh is increasing than ever before, and they are at the same time playing vital roles in establishing their deserved rights. This has become possible, due to the remarkable contribution of HomeNet. Ms Rehana Jhabvala from SEWA highlighted key achievements of HNSA over the last five years since its inception.

The Asia Post, Dhaka Sunday, 28 January, 2007