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Maids to be made skilled

LAHORE: The International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Punjab Women Development Department launched a pilot training programme to improve the employability, living and working conditions of domestic workers.

A workshop in this regard was held at local hotel on Wednesday. The speakers include Women Development Department Secretary Irum Bokhari, Secretary General, Pakistan Workers Federation, Zahoor Awan, Salim Bokhari and others.

The programme was launched to mark the World Social Justice Day today (Thursday).The project aims to improve the standard of domestic work as well as to enhance the employability and living and working conditions of domestic workers.

“Domestic work is a critical source of employment for millions of girls and women. Many of them take pride in what they do. They take care of the things that constitute the very fabric of our lives. We need to make sure these workers receive the dignity, the treatment, the salaries and the respect that they deserve,” stated Frida Khan, the National Project Coordinator of the ILO project ‘Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment’ (GE4DE).

The programme will initially target 1,000 trainees before scaling up to cover a larger number of domestic workers. Trainees will be officially registered and placed in homes after the completion of their training.

A complaints and grievance redressal mechanism will also be established.

Lauding the ILO for its support, Women Development Department Secretary lrum Bukhari said that women empowerment is the top priority of the government. The skills development project for domestic workers is part of the Chief Minister’s Women’s Empowerment Package aimed at empowering women, she added.

The programme was a part of the ILO project ‘Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment’ (GE4DE), funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.

The Nation