The sewerage profession in Pakistan is heavily discriminated against

Sanitation workers are faced with a toxic working environment every day. The story in Pakistan is an example. Almost no protection, in polluted air. In addition, this work is heavily discriminated against because it is considered to be unclean.

Every day, Mr. Shafiq Masih – sanitation worker, Lahore city, Pakistan has almost nothing to cover his body, wallows in sewers, despite toxic gases from various types of waste, cleans by hand without drainage. in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan. He said: “To go down the drain is to sacrifice self-respect. When I was down there, soapy water came down when someone did laundry or went to the bathroom, they splashed the water, so all that dirty stuff fell on them. I””.

People who do this work in Pakistan are heavily stigmatized by society. Mr. Muhammad Arif – Sanitation Inspector, Lahore City, Pakistan said: “About 30% of the people respect us, the remaining 70% have a bad attitude, calling us by all kinds of bad names. just working, some people still curse at us, these people don’t understand that we are working for them, cleaning up their trash.”

In 2017, even a sewer worker was refused treatment by a doctor for toxic gas asphyxiation. The doctor gave the reason that he had to keep himself clean and could not touch the worker’s contaminated body.

Having worked in this job for 22 years, Mr. Shafiq only receives 44,000 rupees a month (nearly 5.5 million VND), almost double the salary of a street sweeper or collector. In return for a meager salary, sewer workers bear great risks such as tuberculosis infection, hepatitis or skin and eye diseases. Accidents also happen frequently, especially toxic gas poisoning. Last October, two workers were killed while rescuing another worker who was contaminated with toxic gas in the sewer. In 2019, at least 10 people died because of this work.

Activists for the rights of sanitation workers say that the life of these workers is a vicious cycle from one life to another. Poverty in the parents’ lives makes it impossible for them to give their children a decent education, so that the children have to continue their father’s work.

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