Women Laborers at Brick Kilns Seek Legal Rights, Fair Treatment

APP

Islamabad: The majority of women brick kiln workers have raised concerns over low wages that violate the minimum wage laws, making it increasingly difficult for them to sustain their livelihoods.

During visits to various brick kilns, it was found that workers face severe challenges, including the absence of basic facilities, long working hours, lack of emergency leave, inadequate medical care, and hazardous working conditions.

Bonded labor, harassment, child labor, and the non-payment of minimum wages were also prevalent.

Nasreen Bibi, a brick kiln worker, shared her plight, saying, “I can’t even recall the exact year I started working here. My children grew up in this environment, and now they are part of the same system.”

She highlighted that many women working in the brick kiln industry face numerous challenges but continue to work to support their families.

Social activist Afsheen Safdar pointed out that the brick kiln industry is controlled by business owners who often avoid registering their kilns with the labor department, thereby evading the provision of social security and old-age benefits to workers.

She expressed concern over the workers’ living conditions, describing them as alarming due to the lack of basic amenities, which traps them in a cycle of poverty.

Safdar emphasized the urgent need for the proper implementation of existing labor laws in this neglected sector.

She called for the establishment of a regulatory body to protect workers’ rights and ensure their safety in unhealthy and unsafe work environments.