SEWA Snapshot: May Day, Menstruation and Motivation

International Labour Day at SEWA

As May arrives, so do the heatwaves, especially in the Northern part of India. The effects of climate change, including floods, droughts, and extreme heat, significantly impact the lives of our informal women workers. “If there is a lot of heat, our homes catch fire. If there are floods, we are unable to go to work. ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? (Climate change has adverse effects on our livelihood and at times we are compelled to leave our jobs too). We want the government to listen to us and implement policies that can secure our livelihoods and safeguard our health.”

This was the call of SEWA members from Bihar on the occasion of International Labour Day. ?This day is important for us at SEWA, as we commemorate this across states and aim to increase our members’ awareness of their rights and entitlements as workers. We also strive to connect them with essential social security schemes and bridge the information asymmetry that exists at the grassroots.

“Earlier, I did not know the significance of International Labour Day for a woman worker like myself. We interacted about climate change and erratic rainfall. It was definitely a session filled with knowledge and fresh ideas which I enjoyed a lot.”, said Ruchi ben, a woman microentrepreneur and home-based worker from Patna, Bihar. This day was observed by SEWA Bihar, SEWA Punjab and SEWA Jharkhand.

In Punjab, our members were appraised regarding the origins of this day and connected to schemes such?Vishwakarma?and?Ayushman Bharat. Their?Aadhaar, voter ID, ?and?ABHA?cards were also made. In Jharkhand, the importance of SEWA Shakti Kendras (local outreach centres) of SEWA as a safe space for our members was shared. They also played games like applying nail paint in the shortest time possible and a ball pressing game. A?‘baithak’ (meeting) was organized in Patna, Bihar, where our members were appraised of the history of this day, climate change, maternal care and social security.

Through our collective efforts, we can make our women members empowered regarding their rights and entitlements. Let's celebrate the achievements and dedication of workers everywhere, ask for better policies to protect them against climate change and continue to recognize their invaluable contributions to our communities. Happy May Day!

Rising Costs, Rights and Resilience

As living costs continue to rise, many of us find it challenging to manage our daily expenses. But what about the domestic workers who support our households? Have we ever considered how they cope with these financial pressures and what sacrifices they make when inflation hits? Moreover, are they aware of their rights as workers? “These initiatives are crucial for us to know about our rights and entitlements ben. Please arrange more meetings, we shall come again.”

These are the words of Sanaka ben and Aparna ben, who work as domestic workers in Berhampore, West Bengal during an awareness session. Many of our members expressed that as domestic workers, they are not even given their basic rights such as a glass of water and access to the toilets. These are issues that are not just limited to West Bengal, but are faced by domestic workers all over the country.

“Many participants did not know about terms like minimum wages, social security, unions and so on. In order to fight for their rights, it is important that they know this and hence the awareness session was conducted.”, said Bidu bhai, supervisor at SEWA West Bengal.

An interesting exercise was undertaken where 28 participants of the awareness session were divided into two groups of 14 participants each. They were given this task: “A didi (domestic worker) who works 10 hours a day, seven days a week, and makes Rs. 10,000 a month wants to raise her pay. What should be her reasonable wage then? They were advised to consider housing, food, clothing, health, social security, education, and entertainment before determining their pay.” Maya ben, who was heading one of the groups said, “If we have to take into account all this, then the minimum wage of the didi should be at least Rs. 20,000, if not more.” The other group too came with a similar conclusion.

The session concluded by asking women to come together and collectively demand for their rights and entitlements, including access to washrooms, rest and better wages from employers. “I want to get my wage increased but if I ask my employer to do so, they will find my replacement and I will lose my job. This is the main issue everywhere and hence all domestic worker sisters need to collectively demand for higher wages.”, said Maya ben.

Can Women In 21st Century India Discuss Menstruation Freely?

“Even in the national capital of India, there are still a lot of taboos around menstrual health.? Many of our young members feel a sense of shame in talking about periods and health issues related to their reproductive system. Menstrual blood continues to be considered dirty and impure. Some of the older women still use cloth during their menstrual cycle and not sanitary napkins, which often causes health issues like infections and rashes.”, says Aarti ben, who is a supervisor at SEWA Delhi.

“Not every sister has the means to buy a packet of sanitary napkins. When they have money they buy one, otherwise they continue using cloth. One packet costs anywhere between Rs. 28-33. Often sisters say, Rs. 20 would be spent on one side of the commute itself, so we don’t see the point of buying this. Almost every woman I speak to feels shy in talking about periods and the problems associated with it.”, says Sunita ben, an aagewan (woman community leader) from Fulbariya, Bihar.

Shame, taboos, problems associated with women’s reproductive system. These are commonplace. Due to the embarrassment that women feel, many a times they keep their health issues to themselves and do not seek treatment until it’s quite late. To initiate open conversations about these issues and encourage dialogue, SEWA regularly holds meetings and attempts to break the silence. This year, World Menstrual Hygiene Day was observed by SEWA Delhi, SEWA Bihar and SEWA West Bengal. Here, information was given on maintaining proper hygiene during periods while using safe and clean menstrual products. Through scientific knowledge, the teams tried to dispel the myths that exist.

“If you talk to the youth members here, they will not speak openly about their menstrual problems. During the interaction in Delhi, we tried to make them comfortable about this topic and speak, however, they were still shy. That’s why they are not telling you everything openly.”, says Savista ben, skill development trainer and attendee of the event in Delhi. “The session was insightful and we were informed that we must visit the doctor in case of any difficulty with respect to our reproductive health and try to talk more freely about this subject.”, said Neha ben, SEWA Delhi member from Nand Nagri.

In India, many women still lack access to safe menstrual products. These products are often expensive, particularly for those women working in the informal economy. Furthermore, they frequently do not have access to safe and clean washrooms to change their sanitary napkins. How can we change this?

Highlight Of The Month: Enabling Women To Exercise Their Rights

With the election season in May 2024, it is crucial that our members are not only aware of their rights as voters but also have their voter ID cards in place so that they are able to exercise their fundamental and constitutional right. The SEWA Punjab Team undertook dedicated efforts to ensure that our members have their voter IDs cards and the lack of the same doesn’t become a hindrance for them during voting.

“Voting is our right, I only know this much. If we do not choose our representatives wisely then who will? SEWA Punjab team has worked to ensure that the voter ID cards of over 100 women are made or corrected so they can go out to vote.”, says Seema ben, mobiliser, SEWA Punjab. “With SEWA’s assistance, I got my voter ID card made easily and could go out to vote.”, says Sunita ben, SEWA Punjab member and entrepreneur.

In the month of May leading up to 1st June, which was the voting day, the SEWA Punjab team actively engaged in a variety of initiatives. These included mohalla (community) meetings, setting up camps, and organizing awareness sessions to educate the public about the upcoming voting process. They also collaborated with government officials to hold meetings and further disseminate information. The ultimate goal was to motivate and encourage maximum participation in the voting process.