To inform about the rights and entitlements of migrant women workers under the Inter State Migrants Act 1979, a one- day meet was held at Dangbahal village in Patnagharh block on Friday.
Organised by Palli Alok Pathagar with support from NGOs like Aide et Action, Bhubaneswar, Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and others, it was attended by around 70 migrant women of nearby panchayats.
While the migrant women narrated their plight of excessive hours of work, denial of minimum wage, exploitation at brick kiln site, they were informed about the facilities the registered contractors are supposed to provide them. They were explained about a card which contains their details, various local and State officials’ contact numbers.
In the entire migration process, it has been observed that it is the women and adolescent girls who are more vulnerable to exploitation than their male counterparts.
Hence there is a need to sensitize them with relevant information so that they can protect themselves and act as help to other distressed women workers at brick kilns, told Saroj Barik of Aide et Action.