Public hearing on the struggles of women workers in the fish processing industry in India, 23 and 24 June 1995, Cochin, Kerala, India

Abstract

The Women in Fisheries Programme of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers was initiated in 1993. Broadly, it aims to strengthen the participation of women in fishworkers' organizations and in decision-making processes at various levels. Among the programme's specific objectives are attempts to study the history of women's roles in fisheries (the sexual division of labour), and to record accounts of their struggles against social marginalization. As part of this documentation process, SAMUDRA Dossier will publish a series on Women in Fisheries. This is the first in the series. It puts together documents relating to a unique Public Hearing, held at Cochin, India in June 1995, on the problems faced by women workers in India's fish processing industry. Apart from a comprehensive report on the sector, this Dossier includes transcripts of oral testimonies of some of the women workers. (54pp.)