CHENNAI: Nearly 50 per cent of interstate and intrastate migrant women workers have experienced some form of harassment and abuse from their supervisors or male workers, according to a study conducted by READ, an NGO, to assess the plight of female migrant workers post-Covid in the textile industry in Tiruppur.
Even though many women said that they faced some form of harassment, only 20 per cent of interstate workers and 50 per cent of intrastate workers said that internal committees (ICs) had been formed in their workplaces to look into cases of harassment and sexual abuse.
The study is based on interviews with 120 interstate and 80 intrastate women workers in Tiruppur district. Of them, 49 per cent were interstate workers are from Odisha, 14 per cent from Bihar and 12 per cent from West Bengal. More than 50 per cent of the workers belonged to SC/ST communities.
Of the female migrants interviewed, only 12 per cent have had some form of wage increase after they returned post the pandemic. While interstate workers earn Rs 9,000 on average, intrastate workers earn Rs 11,000. The study also showed that most of them are paid only single wages for overtime.
Speaking about the recommendations to the government, R Karuppusamy of READ said that the government should maintain the details of migrant workers in the state.
"The issue of migrant workers should be seen from a human rights perspective. They should ensure they get benefits like ESI and PF. Photo identity cards should be issued to them and their work contract should be explained to them. The government should also ensure the formation of ICs in workplaces across the state," he said.
R Vidyasagar, a former child protection specialist at UNICEF, who was also part of the study, said that Tamil Nadu should become a model state by creating a law for the protection of migrant workers during the release of the report.