Christian sanitary cleaners in Pakistan highlights the existence of religious discrimination

Today, 80% of sanitation workers in Pakistan are Christians, despite them making up just 2% of the general population.

In Pakistan, social hierarchy is dominated by Muslims and Christian sweepers are hired by municipalities all over the country for roles in sanitary. In the past, when authorities in Karachi attempted to hire Muslims to clean gutters, many refused to go down into the sewers, preferring to sweep the streets instead.

Many sanitation workers continued to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic without extra money or proper PPE for fear of losing their jobs. Many sanitation workers came into direct contact with COVID-19 patients working on the frontline in Government isolation centers; and while health workers received additional allowances for working with infected patients, sanitation workers did not. A study by WaterAid found that only half of respondents were able to access social security aid for vulnerable populations during the pandemic with the same number reporting.

Tasleem Mai provides for her family of 12 and has been a sanitary worker for the last 25 years. She took on the job because there was no other work available. She rarely receives or uses any protective equipment despite the risks of infection or accidents. She knows the importance of her role but says

We [sanitary workers] always have to compromise our dignity and personal wellbeing [to do the job]. We are an integral part of society, performing a vital role but we are not paid for overtime or leave and we have no medical checkups or testing, with or without the pandemic.