SIALKOT: A two-day exhibition of handicrafts made by the local home based women workers has concluded in Sialkot.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized this exhibition, the first ever exhibition of its kind in Sialkot, under the supervision of an NGO “Aurat Foundation”.
As many as 180 home based women workers from Sialkot, Chawinda, Badiana, Zafarwal, Shakargarh, Narowal and surrounding areas had set up the stalls of their products in this exhibition.
A large number of the female visitors visited the exhibition and they showed keen interest in the handmade products displayed there. They also highly hailed the skills of the home based women workers, in this regard. On Tuesday, Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Labour Punjab Rana Ashfaq Sarwar had inaugurated this exhibition.
While addressing the participation of the concluding session there, senior programme officer of NGO “Aurat Foundation” Sumera Saleem voiced for advocacy efforts to promote public policy support to home based women workers.
She said that there was a dire need that the government should make effective steps to provide and protect the basis rights of the home based female workers, besides, encouraging them to earn reasonable income after getting the necessary training of various skills.
She said that the government should also make all out sincere efforts to enhance the sources of income for the home based women workers besides, raising the living standard by providing them their basic rights on priority. Sumera Saleem urged the all segments of society to come forward to play their pivotal role in safeguarding the basic rights of the home based women workers.
Some home based women workers, who displayed their products in the exhibition said urged the government to provide them the maximum opportunities of earning while staying at their homes after getting the necessary training of different skills, in this regard.
They added that the home based women workers deserve for the proper attention and encouragement by all of us. They revealed that this exhibition has exposed the maximum talent of the home based women workers. It was the first ever exhibition of its kind held in export-oriented Sialkot city.
They asked the government should encourage the home based women workers at every level. USAID officials said that “Mela for Skill Promotion” was organized at Sialkot for promoting improved livelihood for informal sector workers in Sialkot.
