LAHORE, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 15th May, 2026) Women parliamentarians, policymakers, labour rights advocates and civil society representatives have called for urgent and effective implementation of the Punjab Home-Based Workers (HBWs) Act 2023, stressing the need for social protection, registration systems and budget allocations for millions of women workers in the informal economy.
The demands were made during a policy dialogue, organised by HomeNet Pakistan, which brought together Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs), representatives of the Women’s Caucus, media personnel and civil society organisations to discuss challenges facing home-based workers across Punjab.
According to a press release issued here on Friday, participants said home-based workers — particularly women engaged in garments, embroidery, handicrafts, stitching and food processing — continued to remain excluded from labour rights, health coverage, social security and financial inclusion despite their significant contribution to the economy.
Citing findings from Punjab and national studies, speakers said Pakistan had an estimated 4.4 million home-based workers, including around 3.6 million women, while informal estimates placed the number of women workers at more than 12 million nationwide. They added that HBWs contributed nearly Rs400 billion annually, or around 3.8 per cent of the country’s GDP, though their role remained largely undocumented and unrecognised.
Participants noted that although all four provinces had enacted legislation related to home-based workers, implementation remained weak due to insufficient budget allocations, poor institutional coordination, weak registration mechanisms and limited engagement of labour departments and local governments.
MPAs Safia Saeed, Shagufta Faisal, Uzma Kardar, Amna Parveen, Farzana Abbas, Somia Atta, Syeda Samreen Taj, Mumtaz Begum and Fatima Begum highlighted key issues confronting women workers, including low piece-rate wages, absence of written contracts, workplace harassment, exclusion from social security and health schemes, occupational health risks, poverty, climate-related shocks and rising school dropouts forcing women and children into exploitative labour.
HomeNet Pakistan Executive Director Ume Laila Azhar called for district-level registration systems, dedicated welfare and health insurance funds, and stronger coordination among labour departments, the Women Development Department, NADRA, EOBI, social welfare institutions and civil society organisations to ensure effective enforcement of laws protecting home-based workers.
AWAZ Foundation Executive Director Ziaur Rehman urged women lawmakers to advocate revival of the Punjab government’s discontinued ‘Zewar-e-Taleem’ stipend programme, saying school dropout rates had increased after its suspension.
