Reflections from our Enforcer (Chandni Joshi)

For nearly 30 years since my UNIFEM days, I have been committed to advancing the recognition and rights of home-based workers, yet a significant gap remains. Despite our efforts through HomeNet South Asia and its 62 affiliates, the voices, visibility, and contributions of home-based workers continue to be overlooked. Drawing largely from the experience of Nepal, this reflects a broader regional reality.

A key part of my work has been to bring these voices into spaces where they are often absent. Whether speaking recently to the Nepali diaspora at NRN forums, representing civil society as a lone voice at the Prime Minister’s Office on the 116th International Women’s Day, or addressing students at Pokhara University’s convocation, I have consistently sought to raise awareness about home-based workers among audiences unfamiliar with these realities. These engagements have been critical in shifting perceptions and building wider recognition.

In Nepal, this advocacy has also influenced national processes. After the earthquake, engaging home-based workers in recovery discussions revealed that they had lost not only their homes but also their workplaces and livelihood, placing them in triple jeopardy. This insight helped ensure their inclusion in disaster management and climate justice frameworks. Similarly, in processes such as Beijing Plus and CEDAW, home-based workers have moved from being passive participants to active contributors, shaping discussions on economic empowerment and gaining recognition as a legitimate workforce.

However, the next critical step is securing legal recognition through international labour standards, particularly ILO Convention C177. This framework can ensure fair remuneration, social protection, and safe working conditions. For Nepal, where many women are engaged in home based work, its ratification would be transformative. I have continuously advocated for this pertinent issue in Nepal at the highest level. 

While progress has been made in visibility and inclusion, true empowerment requires institutionalising home-based workers rights in law and policy. The focus must now be on translating recognition into enforceable protections.

This, I believe, is the next frontier - moving from awareness to rights, and from inclusion to lasting overall empowerment for home based workers.