Under DLMGA initiatives, a platform titled “Asian Sanitation Workers” was convened, bringing together workers, activists, journalists, and human rights defenders from across Asia. Participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Korea shared the situation of sanitation work and workers in their respective countries. The platform highlighted that sanitation work is not merely a labor issue, but one intrinsically linked to caste, class, and descent-based discrimination.
The discussions were structured around four themes: Gig Economy and Precarious Working Conditions in Asia, Sanitation Workers and Disaster Risk Management, Technology and Safe Working Conditions for Sanitation Workers and Mental Health and Well-being of Sanitation Workers. These discussions laid the foundation for newly formed core group, centering three pillars: advocacy for workers’ rights through improved safety measures, fair wages, and anti-discriminatory campaigns; fostering global collaboration by sharing resources and building international solidarity through unions and global forums; and driving policy shifts that hold governments accountable for enforcing stronger regulations and ensuring that infrastructure advancements prioritize community needs and worker dignity.
This convening marks a significant step toward collective advocacy and solidarity by bringing together diverse voices from across Asia to shed light on the struggles, resilience, and dignity of sanitation workers.
