HR Activist For Increasing Wages Of Females Agri-workers Amid COVID-19

ISLAMABAD, Apr 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2020 ) :Human Rights (HR) activist Ayub Malik Monday expressed concerns on the low wages of females working in agriculture sector amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to APP, he said the wheat harvesting season was on the card and there was a dire need to provide personal protective equipments and handsome wages to the women working in the fields as they had no other option but to earn livelihood for themselves and their other family members.

Ayub Malik said women and children make up approximately one third of the agricultural task, from seed sowing to harvesting, they participate in entire process but their working conditions need to be addressed.

He added that agriculture was considered as backbone of country's economy and rural women and children were part and parcel of this agro-based economy.

He stressed that there was dire need for devising strong policy to ensure free working environment for females besides paying them as per market rate.

He said women face extreme exploitation as their wages used to be decided verbally and their work was not regularized.

He said labour policies and laws needed to apply on female agricultural workers so that their work could be rewarded as per their performance.