South Asia
The year 2020 was a landmark year for HomeNet South Asia. It was two decades ago, in a historic setting, in 2000, that governments from across South Asia came together with SEWA, WIEGO, UNIFEM (UN Women at present), diverse partners from civil society and research organisations to adopt the
“We are struggling for our basic meals and are under a lot of stress.”
These words by Shabnam Shaikh, a home-based garment worker from India’s Ahmedabad, resonate with the lived experience of over 61 million invisible home-based workers from across South Asia. Since the beginning of 2020
For centuries, the South Asian region has been renowned for its textile traditions and heritage. These skills have been nurtured and perfected not in busy factories and by famous brands but by
HNSA would like to acknowledge, with gratitude, the financial support received from DFID’s “Work and Opportunities for Women” (WoW) Programme towards the making of this toolkit. The demand for a South Asia-specific toolkit for homeworkers in garment supply chains came from HNSA’s membership.
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted global garment supply chains causing brands and retailers to close shops and cancel orders from sourcing factories. This has resulted in mass layoffs and has had a devastating effect on the livelihoods of homeworkers – who form the lowest tiers of supply chains
The 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a grinding halt. As of late March 2020, the disease has infected citizens from across the world and has resulted in the deaths of many.
South Asia, while not one of the first regions to be hit by the virus, has seen a steady