Fading flowers? No, facing the world! AREDS, India, 2023

I’m Shanmuga, an 17-year-old girl who’s been through quite a journey. Life wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for me. Irregular periods, loss of appetite, tiredness, hair falling out like autumn leaves, and a constant feeling of fatigue. Yep, that was my life. Anaemia had me in its grip, and it wasn’t letting go. But that wasn’t the worst part. Every time I saw another girl my age, I felt like a drooping flower next to a glowing bloom. My self-esteem? Well, it was buried somewhere deep, along with my energy.

Here enters the AREDS Health Team. They didn’t just throw medical jargon at me; they built a bridge of trust. Slowly, I spilled my worries—the irregular cycles, the hair loss, the whole shebang. And guess what? They didn’t judge. Instead, they handed me a lifeline. “Shanmuga,” they said, “meet your new best friends: bitter gourd, beetroot, turkey berry, pomegranate, dates, gooseberry, curry leaf, and jaggery.” Iron-rich foods became my daily companions. I chomped down on them like a hungry squirrel. And you know what? It worked! Six months of commitment, and my body thanked me. My menstrual cycle decided to play nice, anxiety took a vacation, and my hair even stopped its escape act.

Now, I’m not saying I turned into a superhero overnight. But I did feel lighter—physically and mentally. No more hiding in the shadows. I could face the world, chat with friends and neighbours. Plus, my parents didn’t need to mortgage the house for doctor visits. Bonus!

So here I am, an 17-year-old with a renewed spirit. Anaemia? It’s still there, but it’s no longer the boss of me. I’ve got my iron-packed squad, and we’re rocking this health thing. If you see a girl with a spring in her step, that’s probably me. And hey, if you’re dealing with your own struggles, remember: You’re not alone. There’s always a way to bloom, even in the toughest soil.

What INSP!Ring happened in India in 2022?

India has a labour force of 488 million workers (2021), of which according to some estimations 86,8% or some  423 million are working in the unorganized sectors, mainly doing agricultural work in rural areas, or working in micro-, small, and medium enterprises, mostly in urban areas.  The remaining 65 million workers are designated as being workers in the formal sector, but that doesn’t mean they are all formal workers. Only about 32 million workers in India are considered to be formal workers, which means their terms and conditions of work should be regulated and protected by labour laws and employment contracts. Overall, it is estimated that more than 90% of the workforce in India or about 450 million workers are informal workers, having no written contract, no regular pay, no protection by the labour laws, no access to social security. 

New WSM – program 2022 - 2026

2022 saw the beginning of a new 5-year program, funded by the Belgian development cooperation agency DGD, for WSM’s five partner organizations in India, with a focus on defending existing labour rights, developing new labour standards, giving access to social security and developing social economy initiatives for mainly groups of informal workers. A particular feature in the programs with the informal workers is that before the organizations can really empower them, developing their capacity to avail their legal rights and to negotiate better working conditions, wages and access to social security schemes, these workers need to build the necessary self-confidence to speak up for themselves and become aware of their own working and living situation.

National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM) and National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF), a federation of state-level domestic workers unions that was established in 2013, are both raising the awareness of the domestic workers in 14 states across India, to ensure that they can assert their labour rights and have more respect from their employers. The focus of the movement is on creating better working conditions for 25.000 domestic workers, with a decent and regular pay and a working day of maximum 8 hours, and on countering the day-to-day exploitation of women and children domestic workers. By further developing cooperatives in 8 states, NDWM also invests in empowerment of 15.000 domestic workers by giving them vocational training to earn an additional income so that they can ensure a secure and sustainable employment. In some states like Bihar, the movement will also organize a job placement agency so that the domestic workers can better exercise collective labour rights. The establishment and development of these cooperatives was already initiated in the years 2019 to 2021, with the financial assistance of the organization Familiehulp, and is now continued with financial assistance of the Alimentation Fund. 

The NDWF, aside from giving capacity building to their local, state level and national union leaders on the labour law and social security, will try to affiliate 23.000 more members and facilitate access to social security schemes or welfare boards for 30.000 domestic workers by the end of 2026. Another goal for NDWM and NDWF is for the Indian Central Government to ratify ILO Convention 189 on the protection of domestic workers and to enact a comprehensive legislation to protect domestic workers in 8 states.

Christian Workers Movement India (CWM India) is working with groups of (women) agricultural labourers and construction workers, women workers in different trades such as beedi workers (rolling cigarettes), dhobi workers (informal workers doing the laundry), training them to understand what are their labour rights and how to increase their negotiating abilities to either receive a just and fair price for their products or a higher wage and working conditions according to what is foreseen by the law. 

The Confederation of Free Trade Union India (CFTUI) is mainly trying to ensure or – when possible – to increase the legal minimum wage for informal groups of workers, such as domestic workers, asha (health) workers and anganwadi (childcare) workers, agricultural workers and for formal workers in the shops and establishments sector in Delhi and workers in the public sector (teachers, port and dock workers, workers in the metal, coal or electrical engineering industry). Both CWM and CFTUI will try to ensure their members and beneficiaries to get access to different social security schemes and health insurance. 

In the district of Karur, in Tamil Nadu, the Association of Rural Education and Development Services (AREDS) is working with the unorganized workers, mainly from the dalit communities, such as sanitary and agricultural workers, to improve their working conditions. In addition, the AREDS health workers are raising the awareness of adolescent girls and adult women about better health practices and how to use native medical practices and medicines. With the support of the Alimentation Fund AREDS has also started up four ‘Food Production Companies’ (FPO’s), which aim to give farmers more leverage on the price they receive for their products. There is one FPO selling goats and sheep, one selling flowers, one selling milk and grains, one selling sesame seeds and rice. These FPO’s are being organised as cooperatives: after becoming shareholders of the cooperative, the farmers benefit from the joint purchase of fodder for their animals and of pesticides and fertilizers and from the elimination of middlemen in the process of selling their products. The farmers directly sell their products through regular markets, which are organized by the cooperative. Over time they will also acquire more expertise on how to do organic farming and increase their production. 

In their action plans, the partner organizations for the first time have also integrated small objectives concerning women empowerment and the struggle for gender equality, awareness raising on a cleaner environment and occupational health hazards.

2022: Exit from the pandemic and adoption of the labour codes

Early 2022 India, as the rest of the world, was still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, informal economy workers went through a lot of economic hardship, as they couldn’t go to their usual workplaces. They were dismissed by their employers and had to survive without any income or proper compensation from the government. When health restrictions were lifted many domestic workers were not able to find employment in two or three households per day again, as before the pandemic, so they lost a part of their daily income. On top of that came the rise of inflation as fuel and energy prices rose significantly worldwide, making it even harder for the unorganized sectors to pay for food, housing and other basic needs. The four controversial new Labour Codes (code on wages, industrial relations, occupational health and safety and working conditions, social security), which have been rejected by the labour movement in India for being ‘anti-worker’ and ‘anti-labour’, came into effect in July 2022.  The codes will increase the number and type of companies that can fire workers without government approval, enforce new norms on how unions can call strikes, discard rules that bar women from working night shifts and introduce a new social-security regime. However, for the codes to be implemented it is up to the different states to put them in state level legislation, a process which has stalled in many states over the past months and which is not expected to take place before the general election in 2024. 

Some results of the Indian partners working in synergy... 

National level: On 20 and 21 September WSM and the Indian partner organizations organized a national dialogue on social protection, while inviting other Indian trade unions and organizations such as SEWA, as an event to learn from the Indonesian experience in the Labour 20 and as a way to prepare for a dialogue with the Indian government and engage with other civil society groups in the framework of the G20 in India in 2023. Unfortunately, for the organization of the L20 in 2023, the Indian government was not willing to work with the independent trade union organizations and with the ITUC.

AREDS Health Team resolved to ensure 100% vaccination to all eligible population in 4 Primary health centers in Karur District Tamil Nadu

Following the ravages of COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, the present Tamil Nadu government has been undertaking vaccination programme for administering vaccine to every adult in the state. There are widespread campaigns and visual advertisements on the importance of getting vaccinated are ongoing. Despite, many of common people in the state simply ignore them because of their ignorance and misconception about vaccines. Anyway, it will be risky to leave a death-defying pathological entity prevail on the earth just because of the lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of people. 

Therefore, AREDS decided to enhance the awareness of people in its operational area in Karur district on the detrimental effect of corona pandemic. Hence, it has launched a six-month programme for assisting the government’s effort for ensuring 100 per cent vaccination in the state of Tamil nadu. Accordingly, it has selected 196 villages that come under the healthcare of four Primary Health Centres (Panjapatti, Veppangudi, Innungur and Ayyarmalai) and 19 Habitat Service Centres  in Karur district.  Totally, the programme covers 73610 people. 

The PHCs and the villages which have been chosen for the programme are located in remote areas where people have less public transport facilities.  As many of the villagers are illiterate and poor economically, they pay less attention to their health and hygiene. So, AREDS undertook a survey on the health status and on the number of people who got vaccinated and who have not yet got vaccinated in the villages chosen at the outset. Diverse surprising reasons were put forward by the people, who have not had vaccination, during the survey. Here are some of the responses from them:

1. People have several ailments already. Corona vaccine may aggravate health issues.
2. Pregnancy and childbirth: corona vaccine may terminate pregnancy. It may produce complexities during childbirth. If lactating mothers get vaccinated, it may affect the infants.
3. Habitual drunkards shun vaccination because they have to lose the pleasure of drinking.    
4. If they get ill after getting vaccinated, they cannot work and consequently farming practices will be affected.
5. People are already afflicted with TB, Asthma and diabetes. Corona vaccine may complicate the health condition further.

Stimulated by the astounding statements put forward by the villagers during survey, AREDS organized a review meeting of volunteers to find out the ways and means to dispel the fear and misapprehension of people about vaccination. In order to build a collective responsibility to eradicate the spread of pandemic, AREDS decided to involve the elected representatives of panchayats in the campaign.  

Review meeting with volunteers

In view of that, AREDS organized two meetings with the elected representatives of panchayats, one in Pappakkaapatti and the other one in Ayyarmalai. AREDS also invited the respective Block Medical Officer to the meeting.

The panchayat presidents suggested various ideas for convincing the people on the need for getting vaccinated:

1. It could be made mandatory that only those who have had vaccination can get articles from ration shops.
2. Village Administrative Officers can certify only those who have had vaccination 
3. The list of people who have not got vaccinated must be handed over to the panchayat presidents so that they could persuade them to go for vaccination.
4. Making people understand the situation is very much essential. If they are convinced, they will convince many others who they know well. 
5. The panchayat presidents suggested various ideas for convincing the people on the need for getting vaccinated:

At the end of the meeting, the panchayat presidents asked the volunteers to give them the list of people who have not got vaccinated. Presently, they have the list in their hands and they will visit them door-to-door and persuade them to go for vaccination. Hence, collective responsibility has been built to promote vaccination programme of the government. 

The Block Medical Officer of Inungur presented a brief discloser, which was an eye opener for all those who shun vaccination because of irrational beliefs, in the meeting with the elected representatives of panchayats and the volunteers of the programme: “People think that they should not consume meat if or after they get vaccinated. Many people have strong immune system to bear the effect of vaccines. Very few people suffer the effect of vaccines. Likewise, for digesting meat, the body needs much energy. Hence, it is advisable to avoid eating meat on the day people get vaccinated for avoiding double burden. There are also drunkards among those who get vaccinated. If a drunkard slips down while walking, after getting vaccinated, people blame it on vaccines definitely not on the body condition deteriorated by the consumption of alcohol. People who have health complaints already and the elderly people and pregnant women should compulsorily get vaccinated. Vaccines do not have ill effects on people and they do not aggravate the ailments that are already there in human bodies. Therefore, it is our duty to convince them by explaining the facts.”   

Presently, our volunteers, with the statistics obtained, have started motivating people by visiting them door-to-door to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, people, who have not at all had vaccination, go for the first dose of vaccination and those who have had the first dose of vaccination go for the second dose of vaccination. It gives dazzling ray of hope that we could assist the government’s effort to achieve100 per cent of vaccination in the villages that come under four PHCs and 19 HSCs.   

Now, the government has announced that children aged 15 to 18 can get dose of corona virus vaccine from 3rd of January 2022 onwards. Therefore, we could help the government’s effort to get the children vaccinated. 

Taking Collective responsibility with the government, members of grassroots governance and the civil society organizations will ensure health to all.

Women Power: Gender in India: new documentary

A documentary regarding women power entitled SHAKTHI has just been released regarding gender in India, figuring SWATE, one of  the sister movements of AREDS in Karur. 

Here also in Spanish.

Domestic workers, health and plants - India in 2019

“My name is Sunanda. I have a sister and also a brother who became handicapped in an accident. I have been working as a domestic worker for 8 years now. For the moment, I only work in two houses, because I’m getting older and I have stomach problems. I didn’t have the courage to speak with my employer about raising my salary or about having any holidays. I was too afraid of losing my job. However, I was interested in exploring new possibilities. In 2011, I attended a meeting of domestic workers in my area. I was impressed, as they were speaking about the rights of domestic workers. After that, I attended the meetings regularly. I became aware of my rights and I had more courage to stand for them. I left my previous job because I didn't get a salary increase. I am no longer afraid of losing my job, since I have many contacts with other domestic workers who can refer me to other and better jobs. What's more: I am the leader of the group now. I mobilize people for meetings, programmes and demonstration and I help the workers with enrolling in the Welfare Board.”

First, NDWM (National Domestic Workers Movement) is working with domestic workers, child domestic workers and migrant workers in 23 states of India. They work towards achieving dignity for them, at both a national and international level. NDWM and its federation NDWF (National Domestic Workers Federation) gather over 50.000 domestic workers monthly. Around 40.406 members were given awareness on labour rights, such as minimum wages.

Another testimony is from Jacinta (42), who is also a domestic worker:
“As a single mother, I used to work from morning till night, with a shift from one employers’ house to another and from one locality to another, just to meet the needs of my family. Initially my wage was very low, ranging from 500 INR per month (6 EUR) in each house. But I managed to send my son to school and later, apart from the domestic work, I started my own small business by selling vegetables in the evening. 

I joined the Union and got more confidence to run my own small business. NDWF provided me with a loan of 8.000 INR (nearly 100EUR) to extend my business. I also participated in the skill development training programmes on cooking and in other training and capacity building programmes. My wage has increased and I’m currently working for 5 families with a payment of 10.000 INR monthly (120EUR). Now I’m able to save some money every month, with which I gradually want to build a small house where I can live peacefully with my son”.

In India, the minimum wages for domestic workers are still very low. NDWM has established a forum in which domestic workers can raise their voices to get paid accordingly. If the employers still refuse, the domestic workers show their ‘wage card’. This is a card prepared by NDWM in different states for a better understanding of wages from the employers. However, employers often still fail to pay them enough. Moreover, the unorganized workers have recently fallen out of the minimum wages, as was expressed in the Working People’s Charter. Therefore, the unions have to lobby more rather than perform activities and quick changes in the field. But after three years, the impact of these activities can be noticed: almost 250.000 workers have significantly improved their existing jobs.

WSM also channels funds to the Domestic Workers Movement from Music for Life and the Brussels Region, which has sistered with Chennai, a city in the south. Brussels Region supports the NDWM Tamil Nadu branch in supporting domestic workers and their children who have been evited from the Chennai city center slums and had been relocated 40km away, causing many to lose their jobs and lacking schools.

 Next, access to health is one of the two priority areas for AREDS in the South of India. Medical care is almost entirely privatized in India, which makes health care services very expensive. The average cost of treatment in a private hospital is around 25.850 INR (310 EUR) as compared to 6.120 INR (74 EUR) in a public hospital . That’s why AREDS has been focusing its activities on promoting native medicine practices. Most of the health-related problems in rural areas are common illnesses, like fever, cold, cough, etc. These are curable with native medicines. Many of the herbs and shrubs that grow in villages have medicinal values. These plants can either be used as raw medicine and consumed or they can be cooked along with normal food items. “Above all, people don’t need to spend money for these medicinal plants, as they grow on the fields. But they need to know about the process of making medicinal plants into consumable medicines. That’s why we prepare medicines with native medicinal plants on the one hand and give training on the preparation of medicines with the medicinal plants on the other hand”, said Samy, founder of AREDS.  Almost 30.000 people (80% women) now have better social security coverage or access to health after three years.

Finally, AREDS succeeded to raise awareness on preventive health practices among 4.817 members (61% women and 71% adolescents). Almost 4.500 people attended trainings on the basics of health care (91% women and 66% adolescents). Concerning labour standards, AREDS organized more than 1.704 members of which 74% were women. They gave basic training on labour rights to 577 members and over 1.000 workers underwent training on trade union movement.

These stories illustrate why the WSM India partners focus on a decent living income for the informal sector (such as domestic workers, agricultural workers, etc.).

Over 1 million Indians were reached in 2019:

• Over 660.000 people (53% women and 44% youth) are more aware of their labour and rights through campaigns and outreach.
• Trade unions organized over 75.000 workers, 65% women and 40% youth.
• Over 17.000 people, 88% women and 41% youth, received basic training in labour standards, social security and health. Over 12.000 Indians, 90% women and 40% young workers, received advanced training (of leaders or of Trainers).
• Over 2.000 workers, almost all women and 38% young workers, benefited from legal assistance for labour rights.
• Advocacy: Nearly 300.000 people (36% women and 48% young workers) were mobilized at grassroots level (ex. demonstrations, petitions…).

India Partners: CWM-I, AREDS, NDWM, NDWF, CFTUI                Budget 2019: 244.872 €

Donor: DGD, Brussels Region, Province of West Flanders                      Programme: 2017-2021

India - COVID-19: social protection for all informal workers!

The situation in India is extremely bad for internal migrants and the informal workers WSM partners are working with (domestic workers, daily wage earners, construction workers and agricultural workers). Current lock-down measures in India, which are at the high end of the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index, have impacted these workers significantly, forcing many of them to return to rural areas. There are no transport facilities and no economic backups to meet their daily needs. Unorganized workers are walking hundreds of kilometers to their homes. Also, the crisis-ridden livelihoods of farmers have been completely ignored. Although the Indian government had announced an aid package for the unorganized and vulnerable, it is still not enough compared to countries that have already provided similar support to the vulnerable.

The WSM India partners hope there will be universal social protection for all and that the vulnerable will receive 20.000INR per month (243 EUR).  AREDS also took the initiative to draft an open letter to the Indian Prime Minister. Staying at home is a luxury for some, but, as is written in the open letter, unorganized workers cannot work from home, nor can they afford to stay home for several days, weeks or months. The unorganized workers staying home means the number of deaths by malnutrition could be higher than the number of deaths by COVID-19. “It’s a good opportunity to re-distribute and show solidarity. Our long pending demands of social protection are more relevant than ever”, said Samy, founder of AREDS. For now, many organizations and movements are demanding pro-active programs. Certain media and political parties have joined in advocating for more concrete actions to halt economic loss for the unorganized.

AREDS also works in the field directly and ensures the payment of certain social protection government schemes (Old age pension, destitute, widow pension, differently-able and orphans) for which they are mandated and commissioned by SBI bank. In the past days, they reached close to 10.000 people in 20 districts in Tamil Nadu. Their staff and volunteers go to the residence of these people who are unable to travel and deliver the schemes through bio-metric procedures. A total of 37.556.500INR (450.155EUR) was distributed to the most vulnerable. From 9th of April, AREDS has the regular 185.000 elderly to reach, for a total amount of 185.000.000INR (2.139.718EUR).

AREDS staff distributing elderly allowances with bio-metric verification

CWM leadership and members also joined the emergency volunteering teams by door-to-door delivery of Government essential goods (sanitizer, mask, food) as well as the 1.000INR relief allocated by the government. Thus, CWM assisted migrants workers from Bihar, Odissa, West Bengal and north eastern states as well as agricultural workers in six districts and construction workers around Trichy and five other districts.

CWM members in volunteer teams

Domestic workers relief packages

 Millions of the Indian domestic workers and members of the National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM) are affected due to lock-down. Though the Government has instructed the employers not to cut the wage till the lock down is relaxed, it is unclear how many domestic workers will get their wages. Though the Government has announced relief packages, many State Governments still haven’t come out with clear mechanisms on how the relief packages will reach the people, as it can be availed by only  those who have ration cards, so many will be left out of the Government benefits, like senior domestic workers who have no one to help, single head women-widows, deserted and many interstate migrant workers. Even those who have a ration card still need food till they can get the rations. NDWM is identifying the domestic workers who are in need of immediate help and support and are contacting different sources for financial support. The way the situation is evolving, it looks like people will die of hunger before the virus. To avoid this, NDWM has taken the following actions:

1. Linked up with Voluntary Organisations, Gurudwara, Transgenders group, food banks etc. to distribute food and food to the very poor Domestic Workers. For those who don’t have ration cards, NDWM is distributing our food kits and cooked food. NDWM so far has distributed to 7000 workers in beginning of April.
2. Appealed to the Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament and Labour department to transfer direct cash to workers enrolled in the Welfare Board
3. Released Press statement to the media to highlight the plight of Domestic Workers in lockdown. 
4. Contacted the local rationing officers, District administrators to extend our collaboration to distribute rations
5. Appealed to them to issue special ID to distribute food materials, which was already obtained in some states
6. Contacted employers requested not to cut salaries during lock-down
7. Contacted well-wishers to donate for domestic workers who are in need of urgent support

ILO overview of COVID-19 measures implemented by governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and the ILO for India: link

Corona virus in India shows need for universal social protection: WSM partners in India address an open letter to Prime Minister Modi

Unfortunately, India has not been spared from COVID-19. But WSM’s partners in India are doing whatever is in their power to prevent its spread and to keep the situation as human as possible. On the one hand, they wrote an open letter to the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to ask for comprehensive and adequate social protection support measures, especially in these crisis times. On the other hand, they were already performing a lot of work on health care, which can limit the risks of contamination.

Since Tuesday 25th of March, India has been placed in lock down for a three-week period. This measure should curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The question remains how India, with 1.3 billion inhabitants and the second largest country in the world, will manage to enforce such a widespread lock down. As of 26th of March, nearly 500 infections have been confirmed. That number has clearly increased since last weekend and is probably a significant underestimation. 9 people have already died of the lung virus. According to Samy, founder of AREDS, the reply from the government came too late, because there was no screening at all of people coming to India. India still doesn’t have the required capacity to screen people with symptoms. Moreover, some travelers have taken to ingesting medication such as paracetamol to avoid being detected with fever and enter the country.

India partners show in a video why social protection is so important for agricultural workers

A short video made regarding the importance of social protection for the agricultural workers in India, by the WSM partners.

India passes two of the four proposed and controversial labour codes, with dire consequences for workers, especially informal

From the Working Peoples Charter:
On July 4, the Economic Survey argued that a higher national minimum wage is central to addressing inequality and widespread poverty in the country. A couple of weeks later, the government of India trashed its own analysis by proposing a “starvation wage” of Rs. 178 a day. The Central government hit the nadir with a minimum wage hike of Rs. 2! Experts allege that it is a precursor of what is in store for millions of workers as the cabinet passed two of the four proposed labour codes – Code on Wages as well as the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions.

 Working people are a national asset - undermining their well-being is the biggest anti-national act. Need based Minimum Wage should be guided by Supreme Court jurisprudence laid down in Raptacos case, which is based on principles and test laid down by judiciary, and if any committee, any advisory board decided below this, has to give reason and recommendation.

The two codes were tabled for discussion yesterday by Sri. Santosh Gangwar, Minister of Labour and Employment. With this the Parliament has struck the proverbial hammer on the fate of millions of workers, robbing them of the possibility of decent work and wages, omitting the principles of determining minimum wages, an equal workplace and avenues for access to justice. Primarily driven by the interests of the industry, this predatory piece of legislation is all set to alter the labour protection landscape in India beyond repair and reclaim. It clearly shows that there is a clear drive to `informalise the formal` or `levelling down` which has been central to the overall architecture of the emerging labour regime.

This predatory piece of legislation is all set to alter the labour protection landscape in India beyond repair and reclaim.  With this the Parliament strikes the proverbial hammer on the fate of millions of workers, robbing them of the possibility of decent work and wages, an equal workplace and all avenues for access to justice.

Prevention is better than the cure (AREDS)

I have been working as a health worker with AREDS for the past 18 years. I have two daughters and my husband works in a trade union sector with AREDS for unorganized workers. I started the work because of the support from my husband. My husband believes that, if you approach things with a positive state of mind, we can change things, we can do great things. That positive energy pushed me to go work in the same field. Now, I work with pregnant women. I try to ensure continuous follow up and a trust relationship with each family. We’re not there just for one or two months, we follow the same family for over five years. It means we sort of become members of that family. I provide classes to the adolescent girls, where we talk about diseases and hygiene and sexual and reproductive health. Here, there is still a tradition that says that women can’t go outside if they are menstruating or be in a group. So there are still many misconceptions to educate people about. – Dhanalakshmi, AREDS

Access to health is one of the two priority areas for AREDS in the south of India and it believes prevention is very important. Almost 3.800 people (78% women and 80% adolescents) attended sessions on basic health, hygiene and reproductive health issues. While developing alternatives on a local level, AREDS increased awareness in 2018 of over 8.000 members on preventive health practices, water and environment sanitation, breast feeding, organic food growing and consumption, and on the uses of native medicines.

India: SWATE from AREDS observes International Women’s Day

Besides facilitating the grassroots women to improve themselves economically and socially, SWATE has been conducting programmes to enhance their political awareness. Further, it has been fighting for ascertaining justice whenever women and girl children are subjected to sexual abuse and to any form of violence. Various women’s movements are fighting for women’s freedom and gender equality. As a token of extending solidarity to the international movement for women’s emancipation, SWATE observes the International Women’s Day every year. This year, it focused on five issues:

1. Total prohibition of liquor, 
2. Employment for youth,
3. Gender equality and ending violence against women, 
4. Free and fair election, 
5. Promoting organic farming.

Asian Networks on social protection meet EU Parliamentarians

Members of the ANRSP, together with the two other Asian networks on social protection, NTSP and AROSP, met with European Parliamentarians on the 26th of October 2018 in Brussels. Taking advantage of their stay in Belgium for the Asia Europe People’s Forum, this exchange on the situation in Asian countries regarding human rights, free trade agreements and social protection was done with the Global Progressive Forum (GPF), which is a common initiative of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and the Party of European Socialists. Their network sprang up from the success of the first World Social Forum held in January 2001 in Porto Alegre and aims to bring together a diversity of people from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America to discuss and propose alternatives to the negative aspects of the current Globalization process. The GPF had also invited members of the network of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, who contributed as Asian Parliamentarians. Invited by WSM, the Social Protection Expert of the European Commission DG DEVCO and a member from the Regional Affairs and South Asia of the European External Action Service (EEAS), also attended and explained their priorities.

 Our delegation highlighted the current situation in India and the dangers to the labour movement there, with an increasing criminalisation and deterioration of labour rights in the process of codifying the labour laws. NDWM also referred to the situation of domestic workers, with Sister Jeanne Devos explaining the history of their movement and their involvement in the process of the ILC189. Another big topic was the influence the EU can have through trade agreements which conditionalize import tariffs with the respect of human and labour rights, for instance in the Philippines (GSP+) and Bangladesh (Sustainability Compact). Bismo Sanyoto, Thematic and Political Coordinator of the ANRSP talked about the two issues of social protection: how to finance this (most countries still spend less than 2% of the GDP on social protection) and how to extend the coverage, also for informal workers.

Despite all the lofty declarations which put social protection as a priority for the development programmes of the EU, the representative from DEVCO said less than 1% of the overall DEVCO budget is dedicated to SP projects. He said the future global programme will focus on budget support, in 5 to 8 countries over the world, to link public finances and social protection. This would involve civil society organisations, also through the Global Coalition on Social Protection Floors, of which WSM is an active member.

India: farmers make demands

The long preparation and efforts taken by Swaraj Abhiyan through various struggles and efforts to coordinate all the farmers movements and federations over two years has now come realise that a greater collective and coordinated move towards gaining their rights is necessary. Farmers from all over India have started their journey through various means to meet in Delhi on November 20th. It is expected that over 500.000 farmers from all over the country will join. The Tamil Nadu Land Rights Federation and RIEH Asia is part of this march.

They wrote this open letter to Modi, the Indian Prime Minister:

Dear Shri Narendra Modi,


We are farmers: women and men, landowner, sharecropper, tenant, forest gatherers and landless cultivators. We are primary producers: we grow crops, we collect forest produce, we rear animals and poultry and we fish. We use our labour to sustain life on this planet; yet we find it hard to sustain our own lives. We are told we are ‘annadatas’; yet we cannot feed our families. We are a majority in this democracy; yet our voice is not heard. More than half of us are women; yet we remain invisible. Our Constitution gives us Right to Life; yet we are forced to commit suicide.

Christy, farmers' rally preparation from Tamil Nadu to Delhi

Why? What is it that causes this tragedy?
It is not that we are lazy. We work very hard. We keep producing more and more. In the last ten years, we have raised the nation’s production of food one and half times. We have done our bit for the nation but why has the nation not done its bit for us?

It is not just the nature. Over the years, nature is more capricious. We suffer more droughts, more floods, more unpredictable climate than ever before. But why should we pay the price for changes in climate? Why don’t we get protection against natural calamities like farmers elsewhere do? And, why don’t we earn well even in a year when the nature is kind?

And it is not just the market. Everyone else seems to be doing well. Companies, businessmen, and salaried employees – everyone is earning better. Fertilizer, pesticide and seed companies are making big profits. Food industry and big retail are thriving. But a farmers’ family earns only Rs. 3,884 per month from farming, less than the minimum wages for unskilled workers! Why do we, who actually produce and feed others, lose out continuously?

After years and years of suffering, waiting and hoping, we realize that it’s about state policies, governmental action and political will. Governmental policies are driving the agrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides. Instead of helping us in this hour of need, we are still being made to subsidize other sectors of the economy. Successive central and state governments have withdrawn whatever little support we used to get and have left us at the mercy of market forces and vagaries of nature. What you call ‘development’ is nothing but our systematic loot.

Mr. Prime Minister, we trusted you in 2014. We believed your promises, but you reneged. We thought you would protect our land, but you tried to snatch it. We faced droughts, floods and other calamities, but adequate relief never arrived. We endured crash in crop price without the minimum support. This is when we needed your helping hand, but you cut down spending on agriculture. And we suffered demonetization without any gains. We feel abandoned and betrayed.

Hence this final appeal, this two-point Charter of Demands. We do not ask you for anything except that you make good your own promises. We do not claim more than what everyone else in this country can enjoy. We do not demand what we do not desperately need. And deserve. We, the annadatas, wish to start afresh on a clean slate. We wish to contribute to the making of future India.

We are,

Farmers of India

Find the Charter of Demands here.

Paths to Human Economy

At a time when globalization has pervaded into the nerves and veins of the economy of each country and of the social life of every nation, the very idea of social development, economic progress and cultural growth cannot exist in isolation. All developed and developing countries are interdependent in achieving social development and economic progress. No nation could exist and get going by ignoring the welfare of the people of other nations. In the present context, we cannot accomplish social-politico-economic-cultural development by excluding nations or human races.  At the same time, each of the nations has to recognize the uniqueness of other because each nation and each race follows diverse paths of development.

Economy is not only centered on money but also on humanism. Hence, the development of a nation, now, depends on the development of other nations that are the lings in the chain of globalization. Each nation has to stride towards development by holding its hands with the partners nation or nations. One cannot rush forward leaving the others stay behind. We have to achieve economic development interdependently and help each other follow the Paths of Human Economy.

DCLI a Network of Human Economy have published a book ‘The Paths of Human Economy’ which is based on the findings and empirical evidences of the study undertook by DCLI on the human centered economy for more than two years. L.A.Samy of Asia, Yves Berthelot of Europe, Andres Lalanne of Latin America and Lily Razafimbelo of Africa have written this book together and the prefaces is written by Kofi Annan, d’Enrique Iglesias and Christiane Hessel. This book will, for sure, give you an insight to probe the present economy that overrules us in our respective countries. The work is not just a thesis nor a theory but an invitation to join in the network of Human economy whereever we are and involve in your own way to foster this.  The book is available with the publishers and you can get it online.

Links: Flipkart, Amazon, website

The effect of India withdrawing currency notes on informal economy

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi's announcement over television on the night of November 8, 2016, withdrawing from circulation currency notes with denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000, has had a cascading effect on the economy. In this Issue Brief, M. Vijayabaskar, Associate Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, maps the pathways through which demonetisation impacts the informal economy. A distinction is made between sectors and categories of labour such as the self-employed, the casually employed and the micro and small enterprises operating below the realm of formal regulation. This Issue Brief brings out the paradox of justifying demonetisation in terms of formalising financial markets even it has informalised labour markets. Finally, it also points out that there is little likelihood of the move benefiting the informal economy even in the long run.

People may, therefore, be pushed into the financial system in desperation if the government chooses to not remonetise all that has been demonetised. While this may mean 'inclusion' in a symbolic sense, it will mean little else for the large segments of those who have been excluded from access to formal employment opportunities. Given that it is the same government which has pushed for labour reforms that weaken the protection given to formal workers through 'model' reform laws passed in Rajasthan, it is hard to buy the argument that demonetisation may actually work in favour of even those currently employed in the formal segment leave alone those in the informal economy.

Read the full article here.

Developing alternatives for Indian agricultural workers: solar panels for irrigation

 AREDS in India looks to develop alternatives for agricultural workers by creating and promoting a model farm which uses a more sustainable approach. WSM facilitated a grant from the Energy fund in Belgium, so that they could purchase solar panels for the irrigation in this very dry area of Tamil Nadu. As this is a fairly innovative technique, it required some research and experts analyzed the existing wells, and made recommendations. Next, three tenders were requested from companies, which all had similar prices, but the quality of the equipment varied, like the type of motor and pump. Once the choice made, the order went through the bank and fifteen days later it was installed, with concrete pillars already set up by AREDS according to the specifications provided beforehand. The Company installed the four sets of 10 panels next to each near the four wells and then engineers erected the pumps inside the wells. Currently, the plot has five horsepower motors which can run for ten hours. The system is self-sufficient and not connected to the electrical state grid, except one which was close to the grid. Plants are kept alive despite a severe drought this year in Tamil Nadu. AREDS also practices intercropping, with specific measures per crop. Through a rain harvesting programme, there is no danger of the wells running dry.


Of course, the goal is now to share these techniques, so AREDS reached out to farmers, government and universities. Four groups of twenty small-scale farmers, majority women have been trained in first 2016, with a three day training to learn how to maintain the panels, do minor repairs, measure the watts produce and when to switch them on. At least ten people have applied for the state grants for solar panels, which can take some time. A delegation from the local government agriculture department was invited and decided to support this initiative. The Agriculture university of Trichy is also attending training on this farm, and an exchange program runs with French students and soon VIVES, a farmers higher education institute in West Flanders.

AREDS’ health interventions for adolescent girls

Adolescent age is a critical stage in the life cycle of girls in particular. Until they reach this stage, their life revolves around their family. Once they reach adolescent age, they tend to extend their relationship outside their family circle to include friendships with the peer members of their own sex or opposite sex and other adults like respected teachers or tutors. They face conflicts between their personal aspirations and social pressure.  It is at this stage, they become rebellious, ignoring social stigmas and taboos.


Therefore, it is important to show them the right path, as they are at a stage which is full of inexplicable and new things. Hence, the AREDS Health Team sensitizes the adolescent girls on the physiological and psychological changes that they experience during this stage and answers their fear and doubts.

Physical development
Adolescence extends from puberty to adulthood. Puberty marks different biological changes in girls. For many of them, the natural phenomenon puberty is mysterious. The physiological growth in most of the adolescents reaches its zenith by mid-adolescence. At this stage, they will be close to their adults by height and weight and now, they will be physically capable of conceiving and producing babies. Many girls find the changes in their physique enigmatic. AREDS Health Team help the adolescent girls understand this natural phenomenon through trainings and personal interactions.

India partners launch their study on decent living income in the informal economy

Miss Annelies Maricou, First Secretary for the Belgian Embassy in Delhi,
unveils the study and presents it to M Ranjit Prakash from the ILO,
Project Coordinator - Social Protection

During a reception in Delhi tonight, the WSM partners in India presented their study done on the decent living income in the informal economy in India. You can find the study here.

If the world is increasingly becoming a village, one cannot help but notice that many of the houses in this village are shacks. Made out of left-over materials, they lack solid foundations or leak when it rains. If this village would have 100 citizens, 77 people would have a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but 23 would not. 60 would be Asian. One person would be dying of starvation, 15 would be undernourished while 21 would be overweight. A mere 5 out of the 100 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth and 48 would live on less than US$ 2 a day, 20 would live on less than US$ 1 a day.

The ever increasing urge to earn and spend more money is consuming both people and resources. World Solidarity (WSM) believes that for this village to continue existing and its citizens to live in dignity, these houses should be built on solidarity. Thus, WSM supports five organisations in India, AREDS, CFTUI, CWM, NDWM and YCW to add foundations and bricks to the India house and its social protection and decent work. After all, the only sustainable solution to poverty is that people have decent work and decent incomes.

This study peeks into the many rooms of the Indian house, where the majority of the people work and live, the informal sector, and focuses in ten States on the agriculture, construction and domestic workers. The study looks through questionnaires and focus group discussions at working conditions, how they live, and sometimes barely survive, how they are employed, how they employ themselves, and how they are often either grossly ignored or massively exploited. Led by an esteemed research team, the study was conducted by and through the partners, who felt they could learn as much from this process of conducting such a field study as from the findings it produced. Any advocacy indeed needs to start with and be built on reality. Studies are one way to compile and present data, findings that can be analyzed and argued.

The concept of decent work actively promoted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is based on 4 main principles: freely chosen and productive work (1), with international labour rights (including fundamental labour standards) being observed (2), and a form of work which provides access to social protection (3) and in which workers are listened to through social dialogue (4).

Social protection is thus one of the four main principles of the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO. On the one hand, labour is still the best guarantee against poverty, provided that it is “decent” work obviously. On the other hand, social protection offers the guarantee of a decent standard of living, both in the case of people who have lost all or part of their work income as well as in the case of people who find it difficult or impossible to provide for themselves.

Social protection consists of a whole range of measures of prevention, protection, promotion and transformation or social change, which aim at preventing and reducing social exclusion and inequality as well as poverty and vulnerability.

Globally, especially in developing countries, social protection is reduced to protective and preventive measures. To ensure that a national policy of social protection responds in the most adequate way to the various needs of the different target groups, it is crucial that all relevant stakeholders are involved at all stages, from the early development of the policy to its implementation and monitoring. A structural and dynamic dialogue is a prerequisite to strike the right balance between the different kinds of measures and the most appropriate methods of financing.

We hope this study will provide arguments to lobby in the diversity of India and its national and state level legislation for better minimum wages which allow people to live in dignity, a decent living income.

Conservancy workers air their complaints before public hearing, Karur, Tamilnadu, India - AREDS

Tamil Nadu Conservancy workers trade union conducted a Public hearing on manual scavenging workers in Karur, Tamil Nadu, India on February 7, 2016, where fifteen depositions were presented before the jury in front of 400 people. The very workers that keeps the city and the residences of the communities clean do not have a decent place to live. Often they are forced to stay in the sewage canals with most unhygienic places. Within the caste structure, Dalits who work as manual scavengers are usually from the Hindu Valmiki sub-caste. These communities are held at the bottom of the social hierarchy and, accordingly, face discrimination even from within the Dalit community. Considered fit for only the most “polluting” labor, their role is to manually dispose of human excrement and perform other unsanitary tasks. In March 2014, in an effort to resolve this, the Supreme Court of India estimated that there are 9.6 million dry latrines that are still being cleaned manually by people belonging to the Scheduled Castes. This does not take into account manual cleaning of open defecation from roads and other areas, removing excrement flushed into uncovered drains by private households in rural, semi-urban, and underdeveloped urban areas, or manual cleaning of private and government septic tanks. In a landmark judgement in 2014, the Supreme Court ordered the abolition of manual scavenging and asked state governments to provide financial assistance and rehabilitation to those who had lost a family member to the inhuman practice.

In order to highlight the reality of these workers to a larger public and to bring out legal issues for the state to take immediate action, a public hearing was organized with cases presented to a jury.

Two persons died of asphyxiation while they were cleaning the septic tank in a plastic company in Karur. A widow presented the case where her husband died during his service time but the government has not yet paid death compensation and other benefits the deceased person or his family is entitled to have. Others demanded higher pay, as they made only 2.000Rps(26€) per month, which isn't enough to live from. Another conservancy worker worked in Chennai in scavenging work after the floods. The government authorities did not provide them with safety equipments, so they had to work with bare hands, removing carcasses, debris and draining sewerage. No accommodation had been provided and remuneration has yet to be paid. Another worker did the same job for ten days only received 200Rps total instead of the promised remuneration of Rs1.000. A woman worked without protective gears like gloves and facial mask and was afflicted with a soar throat, becoming incapable of eating, swallowing and spitting. She had to spend 20.000Rps at the hospital and for

medication, nothing of which was reimbursed and the administration did not even give her leave when undergoing medical treatment.

At the end of the public hearing, the participants observed one minute silence as paying homage and honouring the conservancy workers, who died of asphyxiation. This hearing was conducted in solidarity with Tamil Nadu Conservancy workers Federation, TAAMS, Tamil Nadu Land Rights Movement, SWATE, Dalit Rights Awareness Liberation Movement, Janodhayam and AREDS. Next, the jury will turn each deposition into a case to be filed with the respective department and take legal action against the erring officials and departments, with the support of the solidarity movements.

Article from AREDS: Towards workers’ Rights in India

Twelve trade unions of unorganized workers have come together and formed the Karur District Federation of All Unorganised Workers’ Unions in 2014. Since its inception, the leaders of the federation have been thinking of bringing out a newsletter on the success stories of the member unions, the struggles undertaken by the unions as well as the federation and the matters on the latest socio-politico and economic development in the country. Their dream came true as the first issue of the Newsletter ‘Tholilaalar Urimaiyai Nokki’ (Towards workers’ Rights) was released on the 21st of August 2015 in Karur.

Current context in India
The Indian government is taking different steps to de-link the association between the unorganized workers and the trade unions. Previously, the leaders of the trade unions to which the workers belonged to were doing the work of enrolling and renewing memberships with the Labour Welfare Board. Presently, the government has passed a Government Order which says that the workers should go in person to the Labour Welfare Office to enroll their names and renew their memberships. If this becomes regular practice, the workers will approach the union only when they have to avail the financial assistance under labour welfare schemes. Doubtless, this will liquidate the interest of the workers in enhancing their awareness on workers’ rights and will dampen the fighting spirit of the workers in claiming their legitimate rights.

Therefore, the union leaders try to consistently keep the members in contact with the unions. They have to ensure an effective and periodical communication between the union and the members. In such times, a newsletter would surely be instrumental in bridging the workers and the trade union. For this reason, the Karur District Federation of All Unorganised Workers’ Unions has brought out this newsletter.