Zehra Khan

Zehra Khan is a Pakistani trade unionist and activist.^[1][2] She is the general secretary of the Home-Based Women Worker's Federation (HBWWF).^[3][4] She is a member of many tripartite committees including the Sindh Minimum Wage Board, the Sindh Tripartite Labour Standing Committee, the Sindh Occupational and Health Council, and the Sindh HBWs Governing Body.

Zehra Khan
General Secretary of the Home-Based Women Worker's Federation
Incumbent
Assumed office 2009
Personal details
Nationality	Pakistani
Education	Masters in Gender studies and BSC in clothing and textile

Career

When Khan was a student of the women studies department, she learned about contributions of home based workers and she took up the subject for her Master's thesis.^[5][6] In her study, she realized the need for legal rights that could protect these workers.^[7][8] Khan had the idea of forming federations by bringing workers from different industries.^[9][10] She started her door-to-door campaign of encouraging women to attend HBWWF's meetings.^[11][12] The meetings involved regular discussion circles which eventually convinced the women to join the organization's rallies.^[13][14]

The formation of unions started off with the bangle industry and gradually moved towards the garment industry.^[15][16] Khan then started working towards making a law specifically for home-based workers and so she started forming circles of them.^[17][18] Khan's work eventually led to the formation of unions in Sindh and Baluchistan, the first of its kind in South Asia.^[19][20] This culminated in the founding of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation on December 30, 2019.

Khan is also a part of civil society groups and associations.^[21][22] She is also an activist who has taken part in rallies and protests involving women's rights, human rights, labor rights, and minority protection.^[23][24][25] She has worked to bring awareness on the subject of workplace and sexual harassment and labor rights.^[26][27][28]

References

1. "School of Resistance - Episode Three: Distributing Dignity". HowlRound Theatre Commons. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
2. "Women, civil society groups announce separate rally on March 8". Pakistan News. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
3. "HBWWF calls for implementing Sindh Home-Based Workers Act". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
4. "Perspectives: Home-based policy still distant dream for millions of workers in Pakistan". Law at the Margins. 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
5. Equity, Roots for (17 January 2017). "NEW SINDH POLICY ON HOME-BASED WORKERS LAUDED | Roots for Equity". Retrieved 2020-12-03.
6. "HBWWF demands practical implementation of SHBWA". Labour News International. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
7. "Minimum wages demanded for home-based workers". National Courier. 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
8. emydemkess (5 June 2017). "HBWWF". behindmycloset (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-03.
9. Hasan, Shazia (2020-11-12). "Sindh labour department signs MoU for home-based workers' registration". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
10. Glover, Simon (13 May 2020). "Pakistani workers protest over jobs and pay". Ecotextile News. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
11. "Nieuws - Pagina 221 van 1653". OneWorld (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-03.
12. HumanityHouse. "Feminist Zehra Khan's battle against the clothing industry". Humanity House. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
13. "We Have To Include Women To See A Change In Society - Zehra Khan Interview | Homenet South Asia". hnsa.org.in. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
14. Shop, The Little Fair Trade. "Interviews - Home Based Women's Workers Federation (HBWWF), Karachi, Pakistan, (2011 & 2015) FAIR TRADE PAKISTAN SERIES". The Little Fair Trade Shop. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
15. ":: Labour Education Foundation ::". www.lef.org.pk. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
16. "HBWWF, Sindh Labour, Human Resource Depts Sign MoU To Start Registration". UrduPoint. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
17. "HBWWF Demands Announcement Of Policy For Home Based Workers". Pakistan Point. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
18. "12m home-based workers go without legal identity in Pakistan". Daily Times. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
19. "Labourers stage protest over pending wages in Karachi". Daily Balochistan Express. 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
20. "Pakistan: Massenentlassungen während der Covid-19-Pandemie". SOLIFONDS (in Swiss High German). 10 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
21. "Activists demand arrest of Pak Hindu student's killers". dtNext.in. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2020-12-03.^{[dead link]}
22. Supran, A. (2019-11-11). "Activists demand arrest of Pak Hindu student's killers". Samaj Weekly. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
23. pakobserver (9 November 2019). "workplace harassment".
24. "Activists demand arrest of Pak Hindu student's killers – British Asia News". Retrieved 2020-12-03.
25. admin (2020-03-06). "Civil society activists slam 'hatred-based propaganda' against women – 6 March 2020". AGHS. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
26. "Activists demand arrest of Pak student's killers". The Siasat Daily. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
27. "Activists Demand Arrest Of Pak Hindu Student's Killers |". Ommcom News. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
28. "Activists demand arrest of Pak Hindu student's killers". News24 English. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2020-12-03.