Empower 500 women rescued from slavery in India

Introduction

The outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 highly affected the rural vulnerable population. The restrictions have been removed and the workers allowed working in industries and other works. In the period the women and children were forced as laborer for low wages. They work for their survival needs. At work places the women workers are highly discriminated and exploited by gender. They are getting lower than man for the same work. The children are also compelled to work as child laborer or bonded laborers. The rural women are working in the spinning mills and textile related works for daily wages.

Legal Rights and Gender based violence training

To strengthening leadership skills of informal textile workers that RWDT has conducted one day training on legal rights and Gender based violence for the textile women workers. The training main objective is to understand the basic legal rights of women workers and to aware of the gender based discrimination and violence against women workers. The training has been scheduled for 4 batches of women workers with each batch size of 30 women.

Objectives of the training

• To understand the basic worker rights on women workers in textile sector
• To develop leadership skills among women worker.
• To develop women worker as peer trainer
• To understand the forms of gender based violence against women at work places.
• To know the complaint mechanisms available for women workers.
• To understand the reporting methods.

Training Activities

In the beginning of the training session, the participants were registered and they were allowed to introduce themselves. The cluster coordinator gave welcome address to all the participants and trainers. Then a brain storming session was conducted by the trainer to prepare the minds towards the training session.

Then the trainer gave inputs on women worker rights such as work agreement, working hours, minimum wages. Also the basic facilities to be ensured for women workers such rest rooms, sanitation and drinking water.

Then the trainer presented the forms of work place violence against women with pictorial presentation. The workers were created awareness to address the work place discrimination. Then the complete details of internal complaint committees and representatives of the committee were given to the workers.

Then the methods of complaint and reports forms were addressed to the workers.

Way   forward

• Each women worker assured to teach the contents with coworkers
• Each worker came forward to work collectively to address the work place violences.
• The women worker assured to urge their employer to form internal complaint committees and ensure proper function of the same.
• The victims were given hand holding support to get compensation with support of district legal services authorities.

Conclusion

The training was given to the 4 batch women workers. 120 women workers were capacitated and developed skills. The workers have confident and prepared to address the work place issues collectively. The workers assured to support their coworker at work places.