By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE – HomeNet Pakistan has called for stronger legal protection, fair wages and improved social security for women home-based workers at the Women Home-Based Workers Convention Punjab, held at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Auditorium in Lahore.
Organized to mark International Home-Based Workers Day 2026 under the theme “We Are Workers Too,” the convention also celebrated 25 years of Pakistan’s home-based workers’ movement.
The gathering brought together lawmakers, government officials, labour experts, employers, human rights organizations, academics and workers’ representatives to discuss challenges facing women who contribute to the economy from their homes.
HomeNet Pakistan Executive Director Ume Laila Azhar emphasized that home-based employment should not exclude women from labour rights, decent wages and social protection. She called for effective implementation of provincial laws, accessible worker registration and stronger institutional accountability.
Punjab Social Protection Authority Vice Chair Jahan Ara Wattoo highlighted the need for inclusive social protection programmes, while Director General Labour Syeda Kalsum Haye stressed worker registration, fair remuneration, access to applicable benefits and stronger collective representation.
Several lawmakers and representatives of labour, human rights and financial institutions also emphasized improved access to healthcare, banking services, vocational training, digital skills and business opportunities.
Participants presented a Provincial Charter of Demands calling for legal recognition, equal remuneration, accessible complaint mechanisms, responsible business practices and the inclusion of home-based workers in official labour statistics.
The convention also called for Pakistan to ratify the International Labour Organization’s Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177), to strengthen protections for home-based workers.
