The mark of a society comes from how it treats its most vulnerable. The hari and mazdoor of Sindh are some of the most vulnerable segments of society. Following a hari and mazdoor convention in Hyderabad, a fact-finding mission of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called upon “the federal and provincial governments to protect the rights of peasants, workers, women and religious minorities in Sindh.”
The HRCP was “deeply concerned that vulnerable and marginalised groups are bearing the brunt of rising inflation and unemployment, without adequate social safety nets to mitigate this impact. During the mission, stakeholders across civil society conveyed their need for more local jobs in development projects, decent working conditions and better access to health services, an end to forced conversions among religious minorities, and the development of reliable sources of clean water, especially for remote communities in arid areas such as Thar. Both the public and private sectors must be held responsible for paying their workers – both men and women – at least the official minimum wage and, moreover, paying wages on time. Given that women and children remain among the most vulnerable groups across labour and religious minorities, HRCP strongly urges the government to keep their needs at the forefront of all policymaking.”
