October 2024 The Sweepers’ Association Pakistan: a collective voice for the rights and dignity of sewer cleaners Mary James Gill and Kanika Singh
A sanitation worker voices his concerns during an interactive training session. Image: Center for Law & Justice
In a society that often overlooks their sacrifices, Pakistan’s sanitation workers face daily hazards without recognition or protection. This blog delves into the grassroots movement led by the Center for Law & Justice (CLJ), showcasing their resilient fight for dignity, safety, and rights. From tragic incidents sparking change to the establishment of the Sweepers’ Association Pakistan through community mobilization and advocacy, this story highlights the efforts of these unsung heroes and the CLJ's mission to uplift them. Discover the heartwarming transformations, empowering workshops, and the unified voices striving to break taboos and push for systemic change.
On the fateful day of June 1st 2017, Irfan Masih, along with two other colleagues, fell down a manhole while cleaning a sewer. Working without any protective gear, they became unconscious due to exposure to toxic gases. Masih breathed his last that day. The burden of discrimination didn’t spare him even during his final hours; his treatment was delayed as some hospital staff refused to touch his ‘impure’, faecal waste-covered body.
This case is just one of an endless series of tragic incidents in Pakistan, where sanitation workers have risked their health and lost their lives, due to the lack of both safety measures and empathy amongst officials and other stakeholders. Playing an important role in the delivery of sanitation services, these unrecognized heroes continue to work in exploitative and unsafe conditions. Sanitation work in the country is subject to discrimination on the basis of caste and religion. The majority of these workers are descended from the Hindu Dalit community, which converted to Christianity in the pre-independence era, with the hope of escaping the stigma of untouchability and their only option of doing ‘filthy work’. However, not much has changed in terms of this discrimination and the minority Christian community in Pakistan still accounts for a disproportionate 80% of the country’s sanitation workers.
Several disturbing cases, like that of Irfan Masih, inspired the launch of the Sweepers are Superheroes campaign by the Center for Law and Justice (CLJ). The CLJ has been involved in research, grassroots mobilization, and advocacy for sanitation workers’ rights. In 2020, they supported the formation of a sewer cleaners’ association in Lahore, which increased the visibility of workers with the authorities, indicating the need to upscale similar initiatives.
However, organizing workers is not easy. Coming from one of the most marginalized communities, their day-to-day challenges and lack of awareness of their rights leave them with little time, motivation, or capacity to mobilize and lead advocacy efforts. Other barriers include inadequate financial resources, and very few opportunities for connecting with workers from other cities.
During 2021-24, the CLJ received a grant of US$ 59,000 from the Initiative for Sanitation Workers, to expand their efforts through the formation of a national association of sewer cleaners.
Building and strengthening the Sweepers’ Association Pakistan
The first step was to build a network of grassroots leaders, who could mobilize and organize sanitation workers in their communities. The Center for Law and Justice identified 28 potential leaders across nine districts in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. A series of residential trainings were organized covering diverse themes, such as the valuable role of sanitation workers; labour laws; civic, political, and constitutional rights; experiences from other countries; and leadership skills.
First residential training workshop of sanitation worker leaders in Lahore. Image: Center for Law & Justice
These leaders received in-kind support, technical assistance and guidance on enrolling members in their region. Thanks to their efforts, more than 200 workers joined the association.
The formal launch of the association was in the presence of key stakeholders at a National Consultation. Workers from 22 districts, along with journalists, lawyers, and officials participated. The meeting led to a resolution calling on the government to ensure improved safety and a better standard of living for the workers.
These training workshops and consultations gave the workers an opportunity to voice their key concerns, related to their contractual engagement, poor working conditions, lack of employment security, and gaps in social security access. Association members across various cities now stay connected virtually, to discuss their issues and plan ways to highlight these through stakeholder meetings and use of social media. Head of the CLJ, Mary James Gill, said, “One of the most rewarding experiences of these workshops was that sanitation workers sat together with the authorities on the same table. Earlier they didn’t have the confidence to speak to bureaucrats. But we could see that after the second workshop, many of them were clearly able to express their challenges.”
A sanitation worker voices his concerns during an interactive training session. Image: Center for Law & Justice
Beyond taboos: honouring sanitation workers
Building dignity for sanitation workers has been the overarching focus of this work. Dignitaries have been invited to sit with workers over meals at workshops and consultations, thus helping to break the taboos of ‘impurity’ and untouchability associated with sanitation work.
Breaking taboos over meals- dignitaries having lunch with sanitation workers. Image: Center for Law & Justice
During the national consultation, eight leaders received awards for their commendable contributions from Senator Seemi Ezdi and Journalist Azaz Syed.
Sustained efforts for a brighter future
The Sweepers’ Association Pakistan has provided sanitation workers with much-needed support structures and a sense of hope, to unite and collectively advocate for themselves. However, the process of creating grassroots leaders and changing public perceptions around sanitation work requires sustained efforts on a much larger scale.
For such initiatives that aim to empower sanitation workers, involving them in planning and decision-making is key. Throughout the program, the Center for Law and Justice prioritized sanitation workers’ needs. Flexibility in program design is also a crucial factor. Mary shares how the flexible nature of the grant helped develop an adaptive approach, “We were able to experiment and adapt the activity plan, based on evolving priorities of workers over the course of the program”.
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This article is part of a series which highlights the learnings from sanitation workers’ mobilization and networking initiatives, supported by the Initiative for Sanitation Workers, across different countries. Read the other blogs here.
The blog is based on contributions by Mary James Gill, Executive director, the Center for Law and Justice; and Kanika Singh, independent consultant.