In a Statement made at the end of the “National Workshop: The SSF Guidelines and Women in Fisheries, India”, held at Asha Nivas, Chennai, India, during 8-10 April 2022, women representatives of fishworkers and fishing communities called for the implementation of a list of Action Points, in line with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Securiy and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).
The women participants represented associations, co-operatives, trade unions and self-help groups, and fishing communities from the States of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa and Kerala. Some represented women who earn their living from collecting shellfish and seaweed, from fishing out at sea, from drying and processing fish, and from vending on streets or door-to-door.
The Workshop was an effort to make women’s role in fisheries more visible, to avail of their rights, to enhance their livelihood spaces in the value chain, and to gain due recognition from the government.
The Statement called on the authorities and organizations to enhance the preferential treatment of women in all relevant fisheries policies, legislation and schemes at the State and Union levels.
It also called for national guidelines for small-scale fisheries and a national policy for women in fisheries, to be developed with the wider consultation and participation of fishers and fishworkers.
For more details of the Workshop, please visit: